Cakes
Sometimes cake is all you need in life, isn’t it? Is it odd to be made happy by a soft, moist, spiced cake? Is it alarming that the act of cutting into a glaze-covered cake causes my heart to beat a little bit faster? There are some cakes that just do it for me… […]
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Baker: meet your new go-to cupcake recipe. This is the recipe that you’ll turn to for every single birthday soiree from now until you’re in a nursing home and can no longer bake in an unsupervised fashion- unless you’re looking for a chocolate cupcake or cake, in which case you’ll bake the Old-Fashioned Chocolate Cake every single […]
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Upside down cake isn’t just for pineapples, you know. Pears don’t get enough airtime in the dessert world, do they? No one ever hears about a pear pie, or a pear crumble. No one makes (or wants, let’s be real) chocolate-covered pears. So when pears are plentiful in the grocery store, and you’re feeling […]
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There’s something about maple that I can’t stay away from, and I don’t think you should stay away from it either. Raised on Quaker Oats’ Maple and Brown Sugar- flavored instant oatmeal, I developed a taste for the sap at an early age. I admit that my pancakes and waffles were smothered in the […]
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I would like to apologize upfront for this recipe. You will dislike me and it while you’re making it. Quite a bit. But then you’ll thank me, and keep coming back for more every fall when the pumpkins come calling. I might be so bold as to say that this will become your Official […]
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This cake is amazing, and it just happens to be vegan. Don’t think that it’s in any way compromised in the Fantastic Department just because it’s not made with animal parts and pieces and products (translation: no butter or eggs or milk, which are mainstays in the world of all things cake, usually). Nope- this cake relies […]
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A friend of mine recently returned from Italy and as a way of thanking me for the grueling, exhausting task of picking up her mail a few times (oh, and watering her basil & rosemary plants once or twice- which The Husband did, anyway), gave me a gallon of lemon-infused extra virgin olive oil (and […]
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Yes, it’s that time of year. The time of year to embrace all that apple and cake have to offer… ideally melded together into one fluffy, buttery, cinnamon-scented coffee cake of autumnal goodness. (Is it possible to say that something is fluffy and rich at the same time? I wanted to say rich a moment […]
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Is it possible for something to be good for you and easy at the same time? Anything that has whole wheat in it, is virtually fat free, and can be made by tossing the ingredients into a blender is a friend of mine. Oh, and if it tastes wicked too, then I’m a fan for life. (Wicked meant in the east coast way of saying ‘cool’- not ‘evil’, although that works too.)
So this cake is a takeoff on the Guilt-Free Mandarin Orange Cake that I have love love loved for years (yes, worthy of three love’s). Why not substitute the mandarin oranges for peaches, I ask? Why not substitute whole wheat pastry flour for the tried and true (but slightly less fibrous) all-purpose white wonder? (Note- whole wheat pastry flour is much friendlier to the taste buds than whole wheat flour is- it’s almost interchangeable with regular flour, so sneak it in everywhere you can.)
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If you like almonds, then you have totally found your match. If you don’t mind almonds, then you just might start to love them after a piece of this cake. If you hate almonds or if you know you’ll go into anaphylactic shock and die after eating almonds, then this might not be the ideal recipe […]
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When organic raspberries are on sale at Whole Foods, one has to spring into action and buy 75 containers (give or take 69). It’s one of those “buy now, figure out what the hell to do with them later” situations, one of those “seize life” sort of moments. (Maybe not that profound of an occurrence, […]
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Frosting is a funny thing- some people eat it on its own (and could care less about the cake), and some people find it too intense (I can’t identify with those people but I know they are out there). Some people prefer it sweet (a.k.a. spreadable sugar), while others just want a touch of sweetness.
In my goal to make everyone happy, one recipe at a time, this one is for the freakazoids who don’t like their frosting too sweet.
Mini anything is good. Eating something small creates the illusion that you’ll really only consume just a little bit, and you’re allowed to feel like you’ve still been responsible if you only have three of something mini. (Hit the four mark and you’re a total glutton- but three? You’ve simply had a taste.)
When I think of donuts I think of something wonderfully deep fried. The only problem is that ‘wonderful’ and ‘deep fried’ are just a tad oxymoronic, and anyways, we don’t happen to have a deep fryer at home- so these donuts are baked in a mini donut pan (you can get them at any department or kitchen store these days). They are cakey and yet somehow light at the same time… and the simple glaze is an absolute necessity to finish these miniatures off.
(Speaking of glaze- I have inordinately fond memories of sitting in Tim Horton’s once a week as a kid with my Mom, eating their chocolate donut covered in white glaze which was then covered in sweetened coconut [inappropriately and boringly called the “Chocolate White” donut- couldn’t they have done better than that?]. I’d eat the donut slowly and methodically, entering a Tim Horton’s Trance of sorts, wondering how on earth they achieved the right glaze:coconut ratio. Yes, donuts have a special place in my heart. And now I feel the need to re-create the Chocolate White. I might just have to get a deep fryer after all.)
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It’s banana-ey, and it’s fluffy. And it’s topped with a glob of cream cheese frosting. Come on, doesn’t this cake have your name written all over it?
When you have a bunch of ripe bananas (don’t waste your time with bananas that are more yellow than black, my friends— when I made this cake, the bananas looked burned to a crisp), you must make this cake or cupcakes (or if you’re not in the mood for cream cheese icing [really?], consider making Banana Nut Bread instead).
Back to the cake. When to do a cake and when to do cupcakes? It’s one of life’s challenging questions, I know. A cake takes longer, which I always find annoying (waiting for something to finish in the oven- come on), and yet it’s easier to spread the frosting over. (There’s always pressure for frosted cupcakes to look so pretty, and what if you’re just not that type?) Cupcakes are more portable, though, so if you’re serving them at the office for a birthday thing, you can pop them into a tin and not have to take your massive cake transporter-container-minivan. Everyone finds cupcakes charming, so that’s always a win, but cake is also kind of homey when you’re a casual dinner party and you get to cut slices right at the table- like you’re sharing one big dish, without the group saliva. I’m no closer to an answer about what’s better, as it’s usually a game time decision for me. (In this case, I just wanted to use my cute new cupcake holders I ordered online. Sometimes it’s that simple.)
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Be prepared to swoon, chocolate lover.
This is the chocolate cake recipe that you will adopt as your own, so you might as well print it out right now and laminate it. You’ll bake this cake for your own birthday parties (tacky, but worth it), you’ll start eating it for breakfast (if you happen to have a piece left over in the morning), and you’ll find yourself craving it in the middle of the night when you get up to go to the bathroom (explaining why you might not have any left for breakfast).
This is the chocolate cake that’s decadently dense and rich- so much so that I was told “I love these brownies!” when serving last week (don’t get me started on brownies- I am forever married to the World’s Greatest Fudge Brownie recipe and can’t fathom a cakey brownie as an acceptable dessert experience). And how appropriate is it to slather a fudgy cake with an even fudgier icing- one that literally pours over the cake in a strangely seductive fashion? Oh, it’s appropriate, and it’s happening in this recipe.
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Who doesn’t love light, fresh, hazelnut-spiked meringue cookies layered with fruit and fresh whipped cream? (If you don’t, then click here to read about a decadent chocolate dessert instead, without fruit of any kind. Goodbye.)
Back to the meringue. Made without an ounce of fat (really… except for the little whipped cream layer), and relatively easy to make (easy but time consuming: full disclaimer), they reek of spring or summer- even when it’s a bleak wintery day. (Whipped cream and fruit makes everything seem like spring. It’s a fact.)
Back to the meringue, again. I have made this as a full-fledged cake (usually remembering to remove the parchment circles under the meringue layers before assembling, except for that one time in 2007), and as individual servings as pictured. So in addition to being not-altogether-unhealthy, and easy-ish to make, it’s a versatile dessert. Why don’t I make these more often?
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Tiramisu is more than just a little bit glorious. Take cookies soaked with espresso, and layer with a goopy filling of mascarpone cheese & whipping cream. Sprinkle bittersweet chocolate in between the layers, and not only do you have an amplified mocha situation going on, but you have the finishing touch to the dessert that Italians have indulged in for years.
I was given a challenge this past week to put a massive package of ladyfingers to use (thank you, Gina- I love being put to the test), so other than using a dozen to make Rum Balls 3 Ways, I knew that tiramisu was in the cards for the weekend. (That and Irish Cream brownies and shamrock shortbread cookies for St. Patty’s, and oatmeal muffins, banana muffins, and tarts. Just a bit obsessed?)
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Let’s face it- “everything in moderation” is a great philosophy when it comes to things like fiber and Facebook. And being moderate.
I am of the belief that More is Better (strange… that sounds an awful lot like the More Sweets, Please tagline), and when it comes to blueberries in a cream-cheese-rich pound cake, well, a little bit of a good thing means that More is clearly the only way to go. This recipe is stuffed silly with blueberries. Stuffed to the point where the cake takes a supporting role- and yet the cake itself is poised to be the star of the show.
So go to town with the blueberries in this moist, hint-of-lemon-flavor pound cake- because there’s nothing to feel bad about living in the land of excess when it comes to overdoing it with an antioxidant-rich fruit.
Recipe for Disaster Alert: yes, I had a mishap while baking this cake. In the spirit of shamelessness, check it out- The Great Crust… Bust.
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