Archive for the 'Cake + Cupcake' Category

Whole Wheat Strawberry Cake

Published by Gastronomer on May 25, 2012 in Cake + Cupcake, Dessert and Recipe. 4 Comments

“The best thing about a whole wheat cake is that you can eat it for breakfast,” The Astronomer announced the other morning as he cut himself a hefty slice for the most important meal of the day. While I didn’t set out to bake a “breakfast cake” with this whole wheat and strawberry number, I encouraged The Astronomer to do as he pleased. I mean, people eat doughnuts for breakfast, right? This is far more virtuous.

With its hunks of juicy strawberries and simple sweet batter, this cake is fit for just about any occasion. It can be served straight from the oven for a rustic brunch or fancied up with a dollop of whipped cream for a dinner party send off. This little cake’s versatility knows no bounds.

The best part of the cake for me is the turbinado sugar that’s sprinkled on top before it goes into the oven. The heat melds the crystals with the batter, transforming it into a crunchy, caramelized topping that contrasts terrifically with the moist cake and tart fruit.

While the whole wheat pastry flour called for in this recipe can easily be swapped out for all-purpose, I encourage going the whole grain route for its subtly complex flavor and nutritional prowess. Plus, you can eat a slice for breakfast and not think a thing of it. Just ask The Astronomer…

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pie plate
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (5.1 ounces)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 pound strawberries, hulled and halved
1 tablespoon turbinado sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 10-inch pie plate. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together into a medium bowl.

Put butter and 1 cup sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low; mix in egg, milk, and vanilla. Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in flour mixture. Transfer batter to buttered pie plate.

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Meyer Lemon Muffins

Published by Gastronomer on January 20, 2012 in Bread, Cake + Cupcake and Recipe. 11 Comments

Winter citrus fruits are flourishing throughout Southern California, and for the first time ever, the season’s bounty is blooming right on our front porch. The Astronomer’s parents gifted us the most adorable dwarf Meyer lemon tree when they visited last spring, and after nurturing it through the summer and into fall, it finally bore fruit that we could pluck and enjoy this winter.

While I’ve tasted Meyer lemons in various dishes at restaurants, I never fully understood the complexity of their flavor until I actually cooked and baked with them. Not only is Meyer lemon juice sweeter, but it also has an indescribable and distinct tang that makes it wholly unique.

Our first harvest inspired The Astronomer to whip up a delectable shrimp puri puri. And several week later, I had to bake these Meyer lemon muffins after spotting the recipe in the Los Angeles Times.

Lemon-flavored muffin recipes usually call for just juice and zest, like these lemon ricotta muffins that I love, but this recipe calls for the whole shebang—juice, zest, pith, and all. The result is a truly moist muffin that’s studded with lemon pieces and laced with a slight bitterness. A sprinkling of cinnamon and sugar on the top of each one successfully mellows the lemon’s astringent notes.

It’s worthwhile to seek out Meyer lemons for this recipe because I find that their flavor, as compared to regular lemons, is different enough that something would be lost by substituting one for the other. Experiencing Meyer lemons in full effect is a must for all citrus lovers.

9 ounces all-purpose flour (2 cups)
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 Meyer lemons, divided
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Combine the flour, 1 cup sugar, the baking soda and salt in a large mixing bowl. Set aside.

Cut two lemons into 1-inch pieces. Put them in a blender and pulse until the lemon is finely chopped. In a small bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Add the milk, butter and chopped lemon. Stir.

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National Bundt Day: Orange Cardamom Cake

Published by Gastronomer on November 15, 2011 in Cake + Cupcake and Recipe. 4 Comments

Did you know that National Peking Duck Day falls on January 18 and National Escargot Day is celebrated on May 24? Don’t forget about National Pots de Creme day on August 27, National Sangria Day on December 20, and a hundred more edible celebrations recognized throughout the year.

Food-centric holidays like these usually come and go without much fanfare on my part, but I couldn’t let National Bundt Day on November 15 pass by without some love. For the past three years, one of my favorite bloggers, Mary “The Food Librarian,” has baked 30 cakes in 30 days in recognition of the holiday. That’s a total of 90 Bundts! Her passion and enthusiasm for the pan’s round and sexy curves is hilarious and contagious. She makes me wanna be a bigger, bolder, better Bundt baker.

In celebration of my first National Bundt Day, I made an Orange Cardamom Cake. Citrus and spice shine brightly and distinctly in this moist little number. The best part is the freshly squeezed orange juice glaze that’s drizzled over the cake while it’s still hot from the oven. Tart, sweet, and full of spice, this cake’s got it all.

Happy National Bundt Day, everyone!

For cake

Cooking spray
3 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 3/4 teaspoons ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup fresh orange juice
2/3 cup canola oil
1 tablespoon grated orange rind
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs

For glaze

1 cup powdered sugar
4 1/2 teaspoons fresh orange juice
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350°. To prepare cake, coat a 10-inch tube pan or Bundt pan with cooking spray; dust with 1 tablespoon flour. Set aside.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine 3 cups flour, sugar, baking powder, cardamom, cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large bowl.

Make a well in center of mixture. Add 3/4 cup orange juice, canola oil, orange rind, lemon rind, vanilla, and eggs to flour mixture, and beat with a mixer at low speed or manually until well combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally.

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Cardamom Crumb Cake

Published by Gastronomer on July 9, 2011 in Breakfast + Brunch, Cake + Cupcake and Recipe. 5 Comments

While crumb cake might be too ordinary for most to request on their birthday, it was the perfect choice for my frosting-loathing and spice-loving Astronomer. To up the celebratory quotient, I swapped out traditional cinnamon for a heaping teaspoon of Guatemalan cardamom—it’s the birthday boy’s current obsession.

I knew this America’s Test Kitchen recipe would yield a winning cake, but The Astronomer’s reaction was even better than expected. Don’t tell his mama, but he declared it to be “the best birthday cake ever!” Oh, how will I ever top this in the future?

Employing cake flour in both the crumb topping and cake resulted in a delicate body and a satisfying crumb. Rich buttery notes tied everything together, while the cardamom added a sexy touch like only it can.

Although I initially frowned upon The Astronomer’s desire for a such a pedestrian cake, this one made me a crumb cake convert, and I wouldn’t hesitate to request it for my next birthday. Mmm, cardamom!

For crumb topping

1/3 cup (2.3 ounces) granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed (2.3 ounces) dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/8 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 3/4 cups (7 ounces) cake flour

For cake

1 1/4 cups (5 ounces) cake flour
1/2 cup (3.5 ounces) granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces and softened
1 large egg, room temperature
1 large egg yolk, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup buttermilk, room temperature
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

Make topping

Whisk the granulated and brown sugars, cardamom, salt, and melted butter together in a medium bowl to combine. Stir in the flour until the mixture resembles a thick, cohesive dough. Let the crumb topping mixture rest at room temperature until needed.

Make cake

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with a foil sling and grease the foil.

Whisk the flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer on medium-low speed, beat the butter into the flour mixture, one piece at a time, about 30 seconds. Continue to beat the mixture until it resembles moist crumbs, 1 to 3 minutes.

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Lemon Ricotta Muffins

Published by Gastronomer on June 11, 2011 in Bread, Cake + Cupcake and Recipe. 11 Comments

I am having a terrific time baking my way through Cooking Light’s feature on “Munchable Muffins” from the May 2011 issue. I was quite smitten with the first batch of Pistachio Chai Muffins, and the Corn Muffins with Bacon, Cheddar, and Jalapeno that followed them were surprisingly even better.

As soon as The Astronomer and I returned and recovered from our recent travels across the country, I was ready to bake up batch number three. It turns out that the pleasure of biting into a tender muffin, hot from the oven, can be quite addicting.

These lemon ricotta muffins were part of a brunch spread that we prepared for our friends last Sunday. I usually never serve a yet-to-be-tested recipe to guests, but decided to take a chance since the other muffins turned out so superbly. Thankfully, my logic was sound in this case.

Just like the muffins that proceeded them, the texture of these was fantastic. It’s incredible how soft of a crumb can be achieved by only lightly combining the dry and wet ingredients. Flavor-wise, the combination of zest and juice imparted a bright lemony essence. My favorite element was the muffin tops, which were generously sprinkled with coarse turbinado sugar. The crunch and caramelization elevated the muffins from great to amazing.

7 9/10 ounces all-purpose flour (1 3/4 cups)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Cooking spray
2 tablespoons turbinado sugar

Preheat oven to 375°. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 3 ingredients (through salt); make a well in center.