Food, Photography and Bon Mots

Tag: cake

Banana Bread: It’s a beaut!
July 15, 2023

Banana Bread: It’s a beaut!

Banana Bread is having a moment. It was the most searched-for recipe online in America in 2020 according to CNBC. This hot weather has done a number on my bananas; their skins were black and their flesh was mushy. In other words, they were at…

Bananas, Cakes, Vegetarian
Strawberry Season!!! Strawberry Almond Flour Cake
May 31, 2022

Strawberry Season!!! Strawberry Almond Flour Cake

I know. It’s another cake. This Strawberry Almond Flour Cake is just too delicious (and interesting) to delay sharing. And, anyway, it is finally strawberry season here in Southern California.  Interestingly, no wheat flour is involved here. It’s just almond flour and a small amount…

Cakes, Desserts, Strawberries, Vegetarian
Browned Butter Cranberry and Apple Cake
November 20, 2021

Browned Butter Cranberry and Apple Cake

This great little cake would look wonderful on your holiday buffet table.

It is a Browned Butter Cranberry and Apple Cake.

The browned butter is a genius addition to the cake. The whole cranberries in the cake give a surprise burst of tart flavor to each bite.

This recipe is from Yossy Arefi’s cookbook Snacking Cakes. Run (don’t walk) to your local bookstore to buy a copy of this cookbook. The collection of cakes in the book is spot on. So is the book’s concept: Developing a repertoire of easy-to-make little cakes with seemingly-endless variations.

Browned Butter Cranberry and Apple Cake

November 20, 2021
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Ingredients
  • 1/2 C. unsalted butter
  • 1/2 C. light brown sugar
  • 1/4 C. maple syrup
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 C. sour cream
  • 1 t. vanilla extract
  • 1/2 t. kosher salt
  • A few grates of nutmeg
  • 1 1/4 C. all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 t. baking powder
  • 1/4 t. baking soda
  • 1 C. peeled and finely-chopped apple
  • 1 C. fresh or frozen cranberries
  • 1/2 C. chopped walnuts
  • 1 T. turbinado sugar
Directions
  • Step 1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare an 8-inch springform pan by spraying it generously with cooking spray and lining the bottom of the pan with parchment.
  • Step 2 Brown the butter in a light-colored saucepan, stirring occasionally for about 3 or 4 minutes until the butter turns a golden brown and smells nutty. Remove from the heat, pour the butter into a medium-sized glass bowl and let it cool for a few minutes.
  • Step 3 Once the browned butter has cooled a bit, whisk in the brown sugar, maple syrup and eggs. Whisk this mixture until it is well combined and smooth.
  • Step 4 Whisk the sour cream, vanilla, salt and nutmeg into the butter mixture. Whisk until this mixture is well-mixed and the mixture is emulsified.
  • Step 5 Sift the flour, baking powder and baking soda together. Whisk the sifted flour into the butter mixture until the mixture is well-mixed and smooth. Fold in the chopped apple and cranberries.
  • Step 6 Spoon the batter into your prepared pan. Smooth the top of the batter. Sprinkle the batter with the chopped walnuts. Sprinkle the turbinado sugar over the chopped walnuts. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes in a 350 degree F. oven. When it is done, your cake will be puffed and the top will be a golden brown. Your cake is done when you can pierce the center of the cake with a wooden skewer and the skewer comes out clean. Cool the cake before cutting.

Yossy Arefi’s cookbook Snacking Cakes is available through your local bookstore on on Amazon here.

Apples, Cakes, Desserts, Vegetarian
Apricot Upside-Down Cake
July 27, 2021

Apricot Upside-Down Cake

I’m pretty sure that Marie Antoinette had THIS Apricot Upside-Down Cake in mind when she said “Let them eat cake.” It’s to die for.   Here’s the recipe:   This recipe is adapted from a Vallery Lomas recipe in The New York Times. You can…

Cakes, Desserts, Vegetarian
Let’s Do Blueberry Brunch Cake
June 30, 2021

Let’s Do Blueberry Brunch Cake

Brunch. It’s a portmanteau– a made up word joining two words and two meanings. You know, a blend. List and article: Listicle. Smoke and fog: Smog. Breakfast and lunch: Brunch.  Actually, Blue Cayenne’s sweet Chief Quality Officer (CQO)  Juliet is probably a portmanteau, too. Juliet…

Cakes, Desserts, Fruit, Fruits, Vegetarian
Small Acts of Kindness and Gateau Nantais
May 10, 2021

Small Acts of Kindness and Gateau Nantais

 

How about a hug?

Some days you just need a hug or a little cake in your life. This is a year full of those needy days. 

Norwegian statesman Jens Stoltenberg said it well: “When autumn darkness falls, what we will remember are the small acts of kindness: a cake, a hug, an invitation to talk, and every single rose. These are all expressions of a nation coming together and caring about its people.”

This beautiful French Gateau Nantais may just be the cake you need to buoy your own spirits and to reach out to a friend as we begin to maneuver our way back into a semblance of life-before-Covid.

Better hold off on the hug for a while, though. 

Gateau Nantais

May 10, 2021
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Ingredients
  • For The Cake
  • 16 T. salted butter plus more for the pan (room temperature)
  • 6 large eggs
  • 1 1/3 C. white sugar
  • 2 T. grated lemon zest
  • 2 1/2 C. almond flour
  • 1/4 t. salt
  • 1/2 C. plus 2 T. all-purpose flour
  • 6 T. dark Rum
  • For The Rum Syrup
  • 3 T. white sugar
  • 1/3 C. water
  • 1 T. whole allspice
  • 1 t. black peppercorns
  • 1/2 C. dark rum
  • For The Lemon Glaze and Garnish
  • 1 1/2 C. powdered sugar
  • 1/4 t. salt
  • 3 T lemon juice (or more as needed)
  • 1/2 C. sliced almonds (toasted)
Directions
  • Step 1 Butter a 9-inch round baking pan and line the bottom with a round of parchment. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place the rack in the middle position in your oven.
  • Step 2 Beat eggs in a small bowl. Set aside.
  • Step 3 Set up your stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Beat butter, sugar and lemon zest at medium speed for 2 or 3 minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add almond flour and salt and beat for about 30 seconds until the almond flour is incorporated into the butter mixture. Gradually add the eggs to the mixture. Scrape the bowl as needed while you beat the mixture for about 3 minutes. You want this mixture to be light and fluffy when properly beaten. Leave your mixer on low speed and gradually add the all-purpose flour. Mix until the flour is incorporated. Add the rum and mix to combine. At this point you will need to be careful that there are no pockets of raw flour in your mixture. Scrape the bowl a few times to check for pockets of flour. Scrape the batter into the prepared cake pan and smooth the top of the batter. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 50 to 55 minutes. When your cake is done it will be a pretty brown on top and the center will spring back when gently pressed. You can check your cake for doneness by inserting a wooden skewer into the center of the cake. The skewer should come out clean.
  • Step 4 To make the rum syrup, add sugar, water, allspice and peppercorns together in a saucepan. Boil this mixture over medium-high heat for about 3 minutes, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the rum. Put the mixture back on the heat and simmer for about 2 minutes to thicken it a bit. Remove from heat and strain the mixture into a bowl through a fine mesh strainer. Set aside.
  • Step 5 Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool on a wire rack for about 5 minutes before you invert it on a second wire rack. While the cake is still a bit warm, brush the top and sides of the cake with the rum syrup. Now, completely cool the cake to room temperature. This will take about 1 hour. Transfer the cake to a serving platter.
  • Step 6 Prepare the lemon glaze. Whisk the powdered sugar and salt together in a bowl. Gradually whisk in the lemon juice and continue to whisk until your glaze is thick and smooth–about the consistency of yogurt. You can add additional lemon juice (1/2 t. at a time) until you have the proper consistency. Pour the glaze over the top of your cool cake using an offset spatula to spread the glaze. Sprinkle the top of the cake with the toasted almonds. Let the glaze set for about an hour before cutting and serving.

 

This recipe is adapted from one that appears on the Milk Street site. You can see the original recipe here. 

 

Cakes, Desserts, Vegetarian
It’s What’s For Breakfast: Strawberry Vanilla Snacking Cake
May 3, 2021

It’s What’s For Breakfast: Strawberry Vanilla Snacking Cake

    OK.  So I had cake for breakfast. Strawberry Snacking Cake, actually. My customary breakfast of oatmeal and flax seeds was getting old. And…why shouldn’t I have cake for breakfast? Aren’t muffins cake?  (I rest my case.)   In any event, I’ve always subscribed to…

Cakes, Desserts, Vegetarian
Be Our Belated Valentine With This Lemon Cake
February 15, 2021

Be Our Belated Valentine With This Lemon Cake

          Here is a belated valentine from Blue Cayenne’s Chief Quality Officer, Juliet, and a delightfully-simple Lemon Cake recipe you should consider adding to your repertoire. (Forgive the lateness of our good wishes. Blue Cayenne’s editorial staff–that would be me–was laid…

Cakes, Desserts, Lemon, Vegetarian
Almond and Blueberry Cake With Cinnamon
October 22, 2020

Almond and Blueberry Cake With Cinnamon

This is a great little snacking cake. There are lots of healthy blueberries in the cake and it’s sprinkled with sugar just before baking to give the finished cake a delightful sugar crunch as you bite into it.

Remember that blueberries, rich in antioxidants, are a healthy dietary choice. Kristin Kirkpatrick, a registered dietitian with Cleveland Clinic Wellness puts it this way:  “Putting a handful on your cereal may not seem like such a big deal, but the benefits to your body are a big deal. Blueberries are small but mighty.”

Of course, there is cake involved here, but still…

Almond and Blueberry Cake With Cinnamon
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Ingredients

  • 1 C. almond flour
  • 3/4 C. all-purpose flour
  • 1 t. baking powder
  • 1 1/2 t. ground cinnamon
  • 3/4 t. kosher salt
  • 3/4 C. unsalted butter (at room temperature)
  • 1/2 C. light brown sugar
  • 1/4 C. plus 3 T. granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 t. vanilla extract
  • 2 C. fresh blueberries

Instructions

  1. Grease or spray a 9-inch tart pan (preferably a fluted one) or a 9-inch round cake pan.
  2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
  3. Combine almond flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, cinnamon and kosher salt in a medium bowl. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
  4. Combine butter, brown sugar and 1/4 C. of granulated sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer and beat at medium-high speed until the ingredients are well combined and become light and fluffy. This will take several minutes. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the mixer bowl. Add the eggs one at a time with the mixer on medium speed.. Mix until the first egg is totally combined before adding the second egg to the butter mixture. Add the vanilla. Increase the speed of the mixer to medium-high and mix until the mixture has nearly doubled in volume and the color of the mixture has lightened.This will take 4 to 5 minutes. Fold in the almond flour mixture and mix until no dry pockets of flour remain.
  5. Using your hands, gently mix the 2 cups of fresh blueberries into your batter. You want to keep as many of the berries whole as you can. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the remaining 3 T. of granulated sugar on top of your cake. (This will seem like a lot of sugar, but it will give a nice crunch to the top of the cake as it bakes.)
  6. Bake at 375 degrees F. for 35 minutes. Your cake is done when the top is a pretty brown and the sides of the cake begin to pull away from the sides of your pan. You can also check the cake for doneness with a toothpick or wooden skewer. You want the the toothpick (or skewer) to come out clean when inserted into the middle of the cake. If your cake top begins to get too brown toward the end of the bake, you can loosely tent the top of the cake with foil.
  7. Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool completely before cutting.
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https://bluecayenne.com/almond-and-blueberry-cake-with-cinnamon

 

This recipe is adapted from one that appears in Alison Roman’s Dining In cookbook. The cookbook is available on Amazon (here).

Berries, Cakes, Desserts, Vegetarian
September 26, 2020

Pastel De Elote: Mexican Sweet Corn Cake

If a cake and cornbread got married… This is an addicting little cake. It’s beautiful in a simple but elegant way, too. I confess that it becomes an “every single morning” part of my breakfast routine whenever I bake it. Dusted with just enough powdered…

Breakfast Dishes, Cakes, Desserts, Vegetarian

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