puff pastry chocolate treat

I planned to make this little treat for my New Year’s brunch, but ran out of time so Rob jumped in and made it!  He will argue that he put it together, and didn’t bake anything – but even so, it shows you how easy this is.  (No offense meant for Rob, he just doesn’t bake a lot.)  Get some puff pastry in the house and grab a delicious piece of chocolate and you are prepared.

I love the Tasty recipes/videos on Facebook and Youtube.  They are so fun and charming.  Everything look so easy and fun.  Click here to see how to make this delicious treat.

Add almonds if you like.   Rob used bittersweet chocolate and it was delicious.  Enjoy –

 

white cake with raspberry filling

Scrumptious white-ish cake, glorious raspberries, delicious icing…happy birthday to me!  This was one of two cakes that I made for myself (and shared!)  Loved it.  My mom, Marco, and Andy agree.  Others wouldn’t try it because well, I made a ridiculous ice cream cake that called to them instead and I guess hard to have both (although I did!)  There is not much more to say about this – save to tell you to make it!  It is a sturdy cake and easy to handle and the filling simple.  The buttercream is a bit more work, but worth it.  Andy, who used to be a chocolate lover declared that he no longer likes chocolate cake.  BTW, I froze half of the cake and it defrosted perfectly.  Enjoy –

Rob tells me it’s not great when I just send you to another webpage…but I’m going to do it today.  The instructions are as easy to follow as my own and I can move on to the other cake I made for my birthday!  I did not use their icing…I found a great icing from Alice Medrich which I will also share soon.  And lower on this page will be the raspberry filling.

Click here for the link — Lelite’s culinary.

raspberry filling:

1 1/2 cups raspberries, fresh or thawed frozen
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

In a saucepan, combine the raspberries and sugar.  In a small bowl combine lemon juice and cornstarch.

Pour into raspberries.  Bring to a boil over medium heat stirring constantly, until thickened.

Let cool before use.

 

yellow cake

If you have a food processor and a few pantry ingredients, 10 minutes and a cake to bake – make this!  Simple, perfect, light, flavorful and can easily transform into something else (think layer cakes and trifles) Alice Medrich developed this recipe for you.  I failed miserably on a new apple cake recipe (thought the smoke alarm would go off) but had committed to delivering a cake.  I quickly found this recipe for a vanilla cake…a “One-Bowl Vanilla Cake” which sounded super easy and quick.  It was, and it delivered a moist and delicate cake that I will make again and again.  Serve it with fresh fruit and whipped cream, top it with frosting, or fill it with a lemon curd or orange cream adding some zest to the batter (reduce vanilla if you do this) to enhance the flavor.  Double this and bake in a 9×12 pan and keep as a simple sheet cake.  Possibilites abound.

one-bowl vanilla cake (from Sinfully Easy Delicious Desserts by Alice Medrich):

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar (6.125 ounces — if you have a scale, use it!)
1 cup (4.5 ounces) all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons (1.5 ounces) unsalted butter, melted and hot
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Quick note – The oven takes longer to preheat than it takes to  prepare the batter.  So wait a beat and start to make the cake once the oven is almost to the desired temp.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place oven rack in lower third of oven.  Grease and flour the sides of the cake pan and line the bottom with parchment.

Place the sugar, flour, salt and baking powder in a food processor and pulse to blend the ingredients.

Add the cream and butter and pulse quickly – 8 -10 times, until the ingredients are blended.  Add the eggs and vanilla and pulse 5-6 times.  Scrape down the sides of the the bowl and pulse another 5-6 times.

Pour into the pan and spread evenly.  Bake 27-35 minutes – until a toothpick comes out just clean.

Let the cake cool in pan on rack for 10 minutes.  Then slide a knife around the edges and invert the cake onto the rack.  Peel off the liner.

Turn the cake right side up to let cool completely.

Feel free to freeze up to 3 months.

Enjoy –

 

 

chocolate cake

Eric really loved this cake!  And that worked out perfectly because I made it for him.  For his 50th!  I took a chance (well, not really because Ina Garten is never too a risky choice).  She loves this cake, said it was one of her favorites, and it seemed fairly easy to whip it up before our long car trip to Maine to celebrate.  Eric asked for the recipe for Kathy to make (which is always a good sign) and I’m happy to oblige.  He was curious as to why he liked it so much – and we agreed in the end, that it was the coffee that put him over the edge from happiness to bliss (and thirds!)  Anyway, this is delicious.  Do not over bake.

beatty’s chocolate cake (from Barefoot Contessa at Home by Ina Garten):

1 3/4 cup all purpose flour (rem to read about flour measurement in baking tips)
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup good cocoa powder (I used Valrhona)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk (shake first)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 extra large eggs at room temp  (I used large eggs and worked out well)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee

chocolate frosting –

6 oz good semisweet chocolate such as Callebaut, Valrhona, Guittard
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temp
1 extra large egg yolk (or pasteurized egg if raw scares you)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
1 tablespoon instant coffee powder
pinch kosher salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter two 8×2 inch round cake pans.  Line with parchment and butter again.  Flour too if you feel like it.

Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer.  With the paddle attachment mix on the lowest speed to combing.

Mix together the buttermilk, oil, eggs and vanilla extract.  With the mixer on low add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until combined.  Then add the hot coffee and mix until almost combined.  Finish mixing with a spatula and fold to combine.  Pour into cake pans and bake for 30-40 m.  You must check at 30 m.  Then continue to check every 5 to 3 to 2 minutes until cake is just done.  This step prob most important as you want a moist cake.

Let cool in pans, then run a knife around the edges – invert the pan, pull off the parchment and invert to right side up again.  Let cool completely before frosting the cake.

For the frosting, melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pot of barely simmering water.  Once melted remover from heat.  Do not cook it.

Beat butter on medium high speed with paddle attachment until light and fluffy about 3-5 minutes.  Add the egg yolk and vanilla and continue beating for another 3-4 minutes.

Turn the mixer to low and add the confectioners’ sugar and salt –  then beat at medium speed (scraping the bowl here and there) until smooth and creamy.

Dissolve the coffee into 2 teaspoons of the hottest tap water.  Add the melted chocolate and coffee to the mixture and beat until combined.  Do not whip.  Spread on cooled cake and enjoy –

 

 

coconut pecan torte

So this was really good.  Addictive, interesting (and I mean that in a good way!) and unlike anything I have made before (I guess that is synonymous with interesting…)  Rob and I kept taking turns coming back to nibble at it all weekend long.  He mumbling “this is good!”  And me mumbling “I don’t even like coconut I must stop!”  That’s pretty much all I remember to be honest as it was about a month ago.  I don’t remember if guests liked it and I know the kids wouldn’t even try it.  Silly of them.

I think I will likely get to each and every dessert from Alice Medrich’s Sinfully Easy Delicious Desserts and likely write about each one (which I probably could get sued for).  But if I can recommend one new book for you, this would be it.  She is so creative, exact, and super informative.  I read the baker’s notes on every one of her books and I always learn something new.  That’s my plug (and I don’t get anything if you buy it btw!)

coconut pecan torte (Sinfully Easy Delicious Desserts by Alice Medrich):

1 2/3 pecan halves ((6 oz)
1 1/2 cups unsweetened shredded dried coconut (4.5 oz)
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar (6.125 ounces)
8 large egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon salt

Pre heat oven to 325 and place rack in the lower third of the oven.  Grease the bottom and sides of a 9 inch springform pan.

Place the pecans on a foil lined baking sheet and bake for 7-10 m – until fragrant and start to look toasted.  Place the nuts on a plate to let cool.

Turn oven temp up to 350.  Pulse the coconut and pecans in a food processor with just 1/4 cup of the sugar.  Pulse until it is the consistency of crumbs.

With the whisk attachment of the mixer, beat the egg whites, vanilla, salt and cream of tarter  – on medium high speed until the whites hold a soft shape.  Gradually add the rest of the sugar and continue to whip until the egg whites are glossy and stiff, but not dry.

Pour half of the coconut mixture into the whites and fold in with a large spatula – then add the rest of the coconut mixture and fold until just incorporated.

Pour into prepped pan and spread evenly.  Bake for about 25-30 m until the torte is puffed and golden and the edges are starting to shrink from the sides of the pan.

Set to cool.  To unfold, run a knife around the pan – remove cake and transfer to a platter.

This keeps really well under a cake dome for 3-4 days.

Serve with lightly fresh whipped cream.

Enjoy –

 

 

 

chocolate chip sour cream coffee cake

Oh jeez.  This is not the kind of thing that I can have lying around.  Big chocolate chips, moist cake, cinnamon and sugar laced throughout – can’t blame me.  Luckily I was baking for a charity so I quickly sent most of it away.  Also gave some to Leslie at Andy’s school since she is always on the receiving end of my absence calls.  She gave me a play by play via email…I WILL GLADLY BE YOUR TASTE-TESTER!  Hang on – let me try it . . . OMG!!!  FABULOUS!!!!!  Her enthusiasm and quick feed back will be rewarded 🙂

Anyway, this is super easy to make and really good almost any time of day.

This recipe is from SmittenKitchen which I love.  Because Deb Perelman writes this recipe up so eloquently and because I’m way backed up with posts to write I’m just going to give you the link to her recipe.

sour cream chocolate chip coffee cake

The only change I made was to exchange 1 teaspoon of kosher salt for her 3/4 teaspoon of table salt.

You know I love that kosher salt!

 

 

ice cream cake

If you make a cake that falls apart, save it.
If you make a cake and it is undercooked in the middle, save the edges.
If you make a cake that isn’t fabulously moist, save.
If you make cookies or brownies that are dry, save
If you have left over meringues, save as well.

(You can freeze all of these above to make your cake at a later date…)

MAKE AN ICE CREAM CAKE.  My fave.

Great thing about ice cream cake is that you can make it from all sorts of scraps and failures and it will still taste scrumptious.  You can also make an ice cream cake with your successes.

Line a spring-form pan with plastic wrap.  I have some 6 inch spring form pans that are perfect for this.  Place the cake, or pieces of the cake (and squish together) on the bottom making one solid layer.  Now fill with some softened ice cream.  You have fun with your flavors…maybe some coffee chip and vanilla (2 different layers) or chocolate and mint.  You can then add another layer of your failure…be it cookies, brownies, more cake…what ever you want.  Add another layer or two of ice cream.  And top with more failed attempts.  If you happen to have meringues, this is nice too – to mix into the ice cream or make the top layer (eventually the bottom).

Freeze until you feel like eating or serving it.

Unmold pan and peel off the wrap.  Place bottom side up as this should be the smoothest and easier to frost.

I like to then pour layers of ganache on my cake, eventually covering the whole cake.  And then decorate (while still wet) with goodies (sprinkles, chips, anything you like!)

Pull to room temp for a 25 m before you plan to serve.

Enjoy-

ganache
3/4 cup heavy cream
6 ounces chocolate (semi, bitter or milk)

Chop chocolate.  Heat the cream until just about boils.  Pour on top of the chocolate and let sit for a minute.  Stir to combine.

 

 

grapefruit cake

More citrus tasting that grapefruit so please don’t shy away.

DELICIOUS!  Moist, flavorful, sweet and yummy.   So good.  Soo good.  Really.  Equally loved by me, Andy, Sylvie, Charlotte, and Danika.  Rave reviews from all and oh, Will and Jason too!  Melissa found them wrestling over what they thought was the last piece and became very popular when she pulled another bite out of her bag.  This cake has three little parts – but each part is easy so don’t get scared off.  And you do have to squeeze some grapefruits (or do you say grapefruit) but I imagine that isn’t a surprise!  It is such a great cake to serve now – as the sun is starting to shine, the snow is melting, the temp is rising (kind of)…and this bright little cake kind of says all of that.  It does.

I found this from the blog Unwritten Recipes and her photos are BEAUTIFUL.

cake
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons finely grated grapefruit zest
2 grapefruits
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened to room temp
2 eggs, room temp
2 teaspoons grapfruit juice
1 1/3 allpurpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup buttermilk well shaken

syrup

1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup freshly squeezed grapefruit juice

glaze

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed grapefruit joice
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
pinch of salt

Prepare pans – grease then line the bottom of a 9×5 pan (other sizes will work, just adjust baking time) with parchment and grease again.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Zest the grapefruit (rem to wash and dry first) and just take the outside part of the skin.  The inner white layer is bitter.  Rub the zest into the sugar with your fingers to incorporate the flavor.

With paddle attachment, beat butter and the zested sugar on medium high for 3-5 minutes.  Add the eggs, one at a time.  Scrape down the bowl, mix in the vanilla and scrape again.

Combine whisk the dry ingredients.

With mixer running on lowest speed, add the 1/3rd of the flour mixture, follow it with half of the buttermilk.  And repeat, ending with the flour.  Do not over mix.  Remove from mixer and fold 2 or 3 times to make sure all butter is incorporated.

Pour into prepped pan.  Bake until toothpick comes out clean and the cake is nice and golden.

Let sit 10 minutes.  While it sits, make the syrup.  Bring grapefruit and sugar to a boil (mix to incorporate first) – boil for one minute.  Be careful as it is hot!

Poke many holes in the cake with a toothpick.  Brush the syrup all over the cake and continue as it gets absorbed.  Yum.

Let cool completely.  Invert and remove from pan.

Make the glaze by mixing the confectioners’ sugar and juice – and the tad of kosher salt.  Spread over the syrup soaked cake.  Delish.

 

 

vanilla layer cake…easy easy and yes, a little lopsided

So good.  So so good and full of warm vanilla flavor.  This was perfect in the middle of January and the freezing cold.  Coming home to a piece of pretty cake, light and airy and bright.  Made me think of Spring (until I put all the white snowflakes on it!)  Anyway, I love, love, love vanilla.  I really do.  I’m aware that some people think bland or boring, but really, it isn’t those things.  So try again.  Not much else to say to be honest.   Oh, this is a quickie.  Just plop most ingredients into into a food processor and you are all set.

The icing recipe is at the bottom of the recipe.  You can frost, or simply sprinkle on some confectioners’ sugar.

I do like to double this and make two rounds (freeze one for later!)

very vanilla cake (from Alice Medrich’s Sinfully Easy Delicious Desserts):

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (6.125 ounces) sugar
1 cup (4.5 ounces) flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (or 1/4 teaspoon table salt)
1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons (1.5 ounces) unsalted butter, melted and hot
3 large eggs (room temp)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease an 8 x 2 inch round cake pan and line the bottom with parchment.  Grease that too.

Add the sugar, flour, salt and baking powder to the food processor and pulse to mix.

Add the cream and melted butter and pulse quickly – just 8-10 times until the ingredients blend together.  Add the eggs and vanilla and pulst 5-6 more times until incorporated.

Scrape down the sides of the food processor – and pulse again so that the ingredients are all blended and smooth (but no more after that).

Pour batter into prepped pans and bake 30-35-40 minutes until a toothpick comes out just clean.  Remember all ovens are different and many are not accurate, so bake until your cake is done.  Not what the recipe says.

Let cool.

frosing–

1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt (less if using table salt)
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
8 tablespoons (4 ounces) unsalted butter, slightly softened, cut into chunks

Mix together the cream, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan and mix a bit to incorporate the sugar.  Cover the pan – and set on medium heat – heat until mixture is bubbling all over.  Uncover and and adjust the heat so that the mixture boils actively (but not crazy).  Cook, without stirring for a minute.  Then pour mixture into a stainless steel bowl and let cool – until barely luke warm – about 45m.

Place the cooled mixture into another (bigger) bowl filled with lots of ice and a some water.  Add the vanilla to the icing.  Then, pour all ingredients into electric mixer bowl and with beater attachment on med high, add the butter slowly and in chunks.

Beat until smooth and fluffy.

If it is not thick or stiff enough – place in fridge for 10-15 min and beat again.

Alternately, if the icing is too stiff or cold, place the bowl in a larger bowl of hot water – until the frosting starts to meld around the bottom…then beat or stir briskly to reach desired consistency.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

chocolate pecan (ground up) torte

Oh, so scrumptious and rich and chocolaty and a new love affair with my ice cream!  This torte is worth every calorie.  Dense and moist with it’s curious texture (ground pecans), this one surprised me.  Rob loved it and so did friends.  This, with his chocolate sorbet turns his lips brown and smiling.  And me too – but with vanilla ice cream and jimmies.  We were both very happy with our leftovers and this cake stayed fresh and tasty for several days under a cake dome.  I topped it with ganache – but you can also skip that and just dust with powdered sugar.  Enjoy-

chocolate pecan torte (from Alice Medrich’s Sinfully Easy Delicious Desserts):

IMG_51701 cup (3.5 ounces) pecan halves (toast them now)
2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate (66-72 percent), coarsely chopped
8 tablespoons (4 ounces) unsalted butter, softened but still cool – cut into chunks
3/4 cup (5.25 ounces) sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
4 cold large eggs
powdered sugar
freshly whipped cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease the bottom and sides of springform pan. Toast the pecans by baking them for 7-10 minutes.  Stir once or twice as they bake for even toasting.  They should be fragrant and golden (but don’t burn or they will become bitter).  Let cool completely.

Turn the oven up to 375 degrees.

Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl and place over a pot with an inch of simmering water.  Melt the chocolate.  Do not cook it.  The simmering water should not touch the bowl with the chocolate in it.

Place the cooled pecans and flour in a food processor and plus until finely ground.

Place the melted chocolate, softened butter, sugar and salt in a bowl fitted with the paddle attachment of your mixer and beat on medium speed until the butter is completely melted and the mixture thickens and gets a little lighter in color.

Add the eggs, one at a time and mix on med/high speed until the is fluffier and even lighter in color.  2-3 minutes.

Stir in the pecan mixture and pour into prepared pan.

Bake for about 30-35 m.  A toothpick inserted in the outer edges of the pan should come out clean, but the inner area of the cake should still be gooey.

Place the cake on a cooling rack and carefully run a thin knife along the inside of the pan to loosen the cake and allow the think crust to sink a little.

Let cool completely.  Remove from pan.

Serve with confectioners sugar and a little whipped cream makes it extra special.

Enjoy-