Peach Bundt Cake

During these hot, humid Southern summers of Alabama, one of my most favorite things is a juicy, ripe peach. I can remember going to the farmers market as a little girl to buy straw lattice baskets of fresh, ripe peaches with their fuzzy flesh and sweet smell perfuming the humid air. Peaches are my favorite fruit and when summer comes, I look forward to utilizing them in as many ways as I can.

I found the recipe for this delicious peach bundt cake quite by accident and I am so glad I did. Bundt cakes are so versatile and very easy to put together - you mix a batter, pour it in a pan, and bake. Although they do take a while in the oven, they are a lot less fussy than a layer cake since you do not have to worry about cooling, splitting layers, frosting, etc. This cake is just flipped out of its pan, cooled twenty minutes, and topped with a very simple glaze. It can be eaten warm or room temperature, and tastes like peach cobbler in cake form. A dense yet moist, cinnamon-scented vanilla cake studded with bursts of sweet, ripe juicy Southern peaches. Could there be anything better?

I made this cake for my Memaw's birthday and it turned out just like her - sweet and southern.

Try it soon - you won't regret it!

Peach Bundt Cake
slightly adapted from blessherheart.typepad.com

Ingredients

For the cake:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 cup of unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 6 eggs, room temperature
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup peach puree (1-3 peaches pureed in blender or food processor)
• 2 cups peaches, peeled and diced (about 6 peaches)

For the glaze:

• 2 cups confectioners sugar
• 2-3 tbsp peach nectar (find it in the fruit juice aisle - I used Kearn's brand)

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and spray a 10 inch bundt pan with baking spray.

2. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon and set aside.

3. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, lightly beating after the addition of each egg.

4. Add the vanilla extract and beat.

5. Add the sour cream and peach puree and lightly beat to incorporate.

6. Add the flour mixture in three separate batches, mixing on the lowest setting possible after each addition - do not over mix.

7. Gently fold in the peaches

8. Pour batter into pre-greased bundt pan, and smooth the top.

9. Place the pan on a baking sheet and bake, rotating the sheet about halfway through the baking time, until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 60-70 minutes. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Invert the pan on the rack to turn the cake out; let cool completely on the rack.

10. To make the glaze: In a small bowl, whisk the peach juice into the confectioners' sugar, adding the juice gradually, so that the glaze is just liquid enough to pour easily but still opaque. Place a sheet pan under the cooling rack. Spoon the glaze over the cooled cake, allowing the excess to drip onto the baking sheet. Allow the glaze to cool completely for 30 minutes, then serve.

Dorie's Devils Food Cake

Until I get into my Ready for Dessert challenge, I wanted to share this easy, delicious devil's food cake recipe with you. This is actually the cover recipe from Dorie Greenspan's Baking From My Home to Yours (which I highly recommend, by the way). I made this cake for my uncle for his birthday, but this cake would be wonderful for any occasion. Paired with a tall glass of milk, its dark but mild chocolatey flavor would brighten up any day. I actually made this cake with a basic cream cheese frosting instead of Dorie's marshmallow one, but I know either would be good. This is a great recipe that makes a very sturdy, easy to work with cake that won't fall apart on you. The addition of buttermilk is what makes it characteristically devil's food and makes it very, very moist.

So, to tide you over until the real blogging begins, you can find the recipe for the cake here. However, I do recommend buying Dorie's wonderful book.

February Daring Bakers Challenge: Chocolate Valentino Cake

The February 2009 challenge is hosted by Wendy of WMPE's blog and Dharm of Dad ~ Baker & Chef. We have chosen a Chocolate Valentino cake by Chef Wan; a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Dharm and a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Wendy as the challenge.

Oh, man. If you love chocolate, this is the dessert for you. It's rich, smooth, velvety, melt-in-your-mouth deliciousness. Simply divine.

This was the dessert I made for my hubby on Valentine's Day that I mentioned in this post. My husband even broke out into dance and song... I kid you not. And then he said it was better than the chocolate souffle at one of our favorite gourmet restaurants in town. So, it gets pretty high praises! Make sure you use really good chocolate, since it is the main ingredient. I use Guittard Semi Sweet, but use what you love.

Another part of the challenge was to make homemade ice cream to go with the cake. The ice cream is almost essential to "cut through" the richness of all that chocolate.Since the valentino is so simple, I decided to take it up a notch and tackle salted butter caramel ice cream. As you might already suspect by the lack of the ice cream's appearance in the photo, it did not turn out well. For some reason, it wouldn't set up, no matter how long I churned it. Hopefully, I'll have better luck next time.

Chocolate Valentino (aka Flourless Chocolate Cake)

Ingredients:

16 ounces (1 pound) (454 grams) of semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped
½ cup (1 stick) plus 2 tablespoons (146 grams total) of unsalted butter
5 large eggs separated

Directions:

1. Put chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and set over a pan of simmering water (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water) and melt, stirring often.
2. While your chocolate butter mixture is cooling. Butter your pan and line with a parchment circle then butter the parchment.
3. Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and put into two medium/large bowls.
4. Whip the egg whites in a medium/large grease free bowl until stiff peaks are formed (do not over-whip or the cake will be dry).
5. With the same beater beat the egg yolks together.
6. Add the egg yolks to the cooled chocolate.
7. Fold in 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture and follow with remaining 2/3rds. Fold until no white remains without deflating the batter.
8. Pour batter into prepared pan, the batter should fill the pan 3/4 of the way full, and bake at 375F/190C
9. Bake for 25 minutes until an instant read thermometer reads 140F/60C. Note – If you do not have an instant read thermometer, the top of the cake will look similar to a brownie and a cake tester will appear wet.
10. Cool cake on a rack for 10 minutes then unmold.

Tips:
It is vital to the success of the cake that you not overbeat your egg whites, and also that you do not deflate them at the folding stage. Also, you do not have to use a heart shaped pan. I think a standard 8 or 9 inch cake pan would work, or you could also use ramekins to make individual cakes.

Ina Garten's Lemon Pound Cake

One of my favorite food blogs, Smitten Kitchen (www.smittenkitchen.com), says this cake is one of the "top 10 that all good bakers should have in their repetoire". After making this, I can definitely agree! It's perfectly moist and the flavors are wonderfully balanced - it's not too tart, yet not too sweet. The hardest thing about making this cake was zesting all the lemons, and then waiting for it to finish baking and cooling. It's even better if you let it sit overnight, so that the lemon simple syrup distributes itself thoroughly through the cake. It travels well and would make a great gift for someone. Another wonderful thing about this recipe is that it makes 2 cakes. I took one of mine to a Bible study one night, then the next I took the other to a friends house for dinner. I served it with fresh raspberries and vanilla ice cream. If you are a veteran baker, or even if you're looking for a recipe that's great to try as a novice baker, this one is for you.

Lemon Pound Cake

Adapted from ”Barefoot Contessa Parties!” by Ina Garten

Ingredients:

• 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 1/2 cups sugar
• 4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
• 1/3 cup grated lemon zest (6 to 8 large lemons)
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 cup plus 3 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 3/4 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted.
  

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 8 1/2-by-4 1/4-by-2 1/2-inch loaf pans, and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
2. Cream butter and 2 cups sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment for about 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Mixing at medium speed, add eggs, one at a time, and lemon zest.
3. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl. In another bowl, combine 1/4 cup lemon juice, buttermilk and vanilla. Add flour and buttermilk mixtures alternately to butter and sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Divide batter evenly between pans, smooth tops, and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a cake tester comes out clean.
4. Combine 1/2 cup sugar with 1/2 cup lemon juice in a small saucepan, and cook over low heat until sugar dissolves.
5. When cakes are done, let them cool 10 minutes. Invert them onto a rack set over a tray, and spoon lemon syrup over cakes. Let cakes cool completely.
6. For glaze, combine confectioners’ sugar and remaining 3 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice in a bowl, mixing with a whisk until smooth. Pour over top of cakes, and allow glaze to drizzle down the sides.

Yield: 2 cakes.

Just About Perfect Chocolate Cake

I made this classic chocolate cake for my friend Sarah's birthday Saturday (also the day of the Iron Bowl..... ROLL TIDE!). It's from Tyler Florence's cookbook Tyler Florence's Real Kitchen. This was actually the first cake recipe I ever made from scratch when I made it for my dad's birthday a few years ago.

It's a very classic chocolate cake, moist, with a nice, rich chocolate flavor. There is a frosting recipe to go with it, but my attempt fell flat - it came out much too thin to use as a frosting, more like a glaze, and I ended up going with Betty Crocker instead.

The cake recipe, however, is fantastic. For now, it is my go-to chocolate cake recipe. I'd like to try some variations, like maybe using coffee or buttermilk in place of the water in the recipe, but this cake is also delicious just the way it is. I wish I'd taken a picture of the inside; it was light, fluffy, and almost had a reddish tinge to it, like Red Velvet Cake. It's the perfect cake for a birthday or for any time. What's your favorite type of cake to have on your birthday?

Triple Chocolate Threat
adapted from Tyler Florence's Real Kitchen by Tyler Florence

serves 8-12

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups cake flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature)
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups ice water

Directions

1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2) Prepare 2 round 9" cake pans by coating the hottom and sides very well with cooking spray and flour (or use Baker's Joy like I did and save yourself a step). Line the pans with parchment paper by tracing around the edge of them and cutting out a circle that will fit perfectly in the bottom of your pan. Then, spray the tops of the parchment. This will ensure your cakes come out.
3) In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
4) In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the cooled chocolate and beat for 3 minutes to incorporate.
5) Beat in each egg on at a time and then add vanilla extract until well blended.
6) Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat for another 3 minutes.
7) Gradually add in the dry ingredients in 3 batches, alternating with the ice water. Beat for 1 minute after each addition to incorporate the ingredients and strengthen the cake's structure. Mix until the batter is smooth.
8) Pour the batter into the prepared pans, dividing it equally, and smoothing out the top. The pans should be two thirds full.
9) Place the pans on the middle rack of your oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and/or the cake springs back when touched.
10) Cool the cakes in the pans on a wire rack until completely cool. This is a very important step! Do not attempt to take the cakes out of the pan while they're still even remotely warm, as you risk this very light cake falling apart.
11) Once cool, turn them out and remove the parchment paper. Frost with your favorite frosting of choice!

I would post Tyler's frosting recipe here, but it didn't turn out well for me and I didn't care for it all that much. I used Betty Crocker Whipped Chocolate frosting, but you could use your favorite buttercream recipe or whatever blows your skirt up. I decorated my cake easily by pressing handfuls of mini chocolate chips onto the sides.
Make this for a friend or family member's next birthday.... they'll love you for it!

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

I found this recipe by way of the LiveJournal community bakebakebake. It is courtesy of the community member spracker, so all credit for this absolutely delicious and perfect fall treat goes to her. I did, however, run into one small problem. No one here had heard of whoopie pies! I had, maybe because I peruse cookbooks and food blogs online for hours at a time, or maybe because I tend to watch exhorbatant amounts of Food Network, but no one at the Halloween party I went to knew what they were and snickered at the name. So, of course, I turned to my trusty friend Wikipedia to find out the origin of the Whoopie Pie.

"A whoopie pie, sometimes alternatively called a gob, black-and-white, or bob is a baked good traditional to the Pennsylvania Dutch culture as well as New England, made of two small, chocolate, disk-shaped cakes with a sweet, creamy frosting sandwiched between them. In Western Pennsylvania they are known as "gobs." They are popular both as a simple dessert or as a snack food. They can be purchased wrapped in plastic at Amish farmers' markets throughout Pennsylvania, Indiana, Virginia, West Virginia, and Ohio and are often found in restaurants and gift shops throughout Pennsylvania Dutch Country. They can also be found in most convenience stores and supermarkets throughout New England, most commonly in the states of Maine and Massachusetts, and in some convenience marts and supermarkets in New York as well as in Quincy Market located in Boston, Massachusetts. As one of the most common delicacies of the cuisine, recipes for whoopie pies are almost always included in Pennsylvania Dutch cookbooks. They can be found elsewhere throughout in the United States in various restaurants and bakeries, although uncommon." - courtesy of wikipedia.com

So, there it is. Now you know. No wonder no one down here in Alabama knew what they were! And, of course, I have no picture (again) for this recipe. I was in a hurry and had to make them for a Halloween party my husband and I were attending. But I thought they turned out really, really well! The cake was very moist and had just the right amount of spice and pumpkin flavor; and the cream middle was just sweet enough. I think this one will surely be added to my repetoire and be made again!

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Cake Ingredients

• 1/2 15oz can of pumpkin
• 1/3 C softened unsalted butter
• 2 eggs
• 1 package spice cake mix
• 1/2 C milk Parchment paper for lining the baking sheet

Directions

In a large bowl, beat pumpkin and butter until smooth. Add spice cake mix, eggs, milk, and beat at a low speed until combined for 1 minute. Use a spoon or mini ice cream scoop to ladle batter, about 3 inches apart on a lined cookie sheet. Bake at 375 until lightly browned around the edges (about 15 minutes). Cool the cakes on the parchment paper so they do not become sticky.

Spiced Cream Cheese Filling Ingredients

• 1/2 C softened unsalted butter
• 8oz package cream cheese, softened
• 2 cups sifted powdered sugar
• 1/2 of a 7oz jar marsmallow creme
• 1/4 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg

Directions

Mix dry ingredients in small bowl. In mixing bowl, beat butter until smooth, add cream cheese and marshmallow creme and continue beating. Add dry ingredients, a little at a time, mixing until smooth. The longer you mix it the more fluffy you will get. I suggest 5 minutes minimum. Spread filling on the flat half of one cake, and top with another cake to make a sandwich. You may end up with extra filling. Just a tip - It's great spread on gingersnaps and banana bread too!

Easy 20 Layer Crepe Cake

This is my quick version of a crepe cake. It is so easy and looks so impressive. Anyone can make this. There's simply no way you can mess it up! It looks like you spent hours on it, when in reality, whipping this baby up took me under 1 hour.

Easy 20 Layer Crepe Cake

Ingredients

• 20 basic crepes (I used store bought Melissa's brand, but you could make your own, of course)
• Mascarpone Cream
  - 2 8oz containers mascarpone cheese
  - 1 8oz block cream cheese
  - 1 3.4oz box instant vanilla pudding mix
  - 4 tsp. vanilla extract*
  - 3/4 c. milk
  - 1/4 c. powdered sugar (or more to taste)

Directions

To assemble the cake, all you do is layer it with about 1/8 c. mascarpone cream for each layer(and whatever other ingredients you'd like) and garnish with powdered sugar, fruit, chocolate, whatever blows your skirt up!

Variations

Now, for the varations. For the one in the picture, I made it a Chocolate Hazelnut 20 Layer Crepe Cake by spreading every third layer with Nutella (aka the food of the gods). I garnished it with a sprinkling of powdered sugar, whipped cream, and strawberries.

To make a variation, all you have to do is add things to the cream (like different extracts instead of vanilla, switch out the vanilla pudding for chocolate and add cocoa to make a chocolate cream) and use different ingredients for layering. Here are three variations I came up with on my own. Can you think of any others?

Citrus Crepe Cake: Omit the vanilla and add orange, lemon, or lime extract to taste. You could even add in some zest for extra flavor. Then, layer orange, lemon, or lime curd on every third layer.

Mocha Crepe Cake: Add a bit of cocoa powder, substitute brewed coffee or espresso for the milk, and substitute chocolate pudding mix for the vanilla.

Bananas Foster Crepe Cake: Add a bit of rum or rum extract to the cream, use banana pudding mix instead of the vanilla, and alternate with layers of caramel and bananas. Yum!

As you can see, the possibilities are endless!