Happy Birthday Hummingbird Cake

Today is my mom's birthday, and so we had a really fun birthday dinner with my mom, dad, grandma, uncle, and myself.  My dad and I "cooked" dinner - although it's been hot enough here that we made a dinner of cold things!  We served chilled cucumber soup with poached shrimp and a roasted asparagus-orange salad.  For dessert, my mom requested a Hummingbird Cake with coconut sprinkled on the frosting, and the cake turned out perfectly!  The coconut added a great festive touch to really make it a "party" cake, and the cake itself was moist, sweet, and flavorful.  I really like that the addition of bananas and crushed pineapple means that the cake feels rich and not-at-all dry despite containing only 1/2 cup of oil.  And, I love the cute pink candles that my grandma contributed - what a fun celebration!  Happy birthday, Mom!

Happy Birthday Hummingbird Cake (adapted from Baking Bites, original recipe here)
Makes one 2-layer, 9-inch round cake

3 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 tsp vanilla
2 large eggs
2 cups ripe banana, chopped (from 2-3 bananas)
1 cup crushed pineapple, drained
1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
Cream cheese frosting
Shredded coconut

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line two 9-inch round pans with parchment, and butter and flour them.
2. Whisk together the flour, sugar, soda, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl.
3. Whisk together the oil, buttermilk, vanilla, and eggs in a separate bowl.  Add the bananas, pineapple, and pecans and stir to combine.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and stir to combine, being careful not to overmix.  Divide the batter among the pans.
5. Bake 30-35 minutes, until nicely browned and a tester comes out clean.  Cool completely.
6. Trim the cakes to make even layers.  Frost with cream cheese, and then sprinkle all over with shredded coconut.

 Blowing out the candles!

Ginger-Vanilla Cupcakes filled with Pineapple Sorbet

A couple of years ago, I entered the 2009 Ice Cream Cupcake Contest with these Strawberry Balsamic Ice Cream Cupcakes. After a no-show last year, I'm back with these ginger-vanilla cupcakes filled with pineapple sorbet.  I love the idea for this contest - ice cream and cake are already so delicious together, and they're even more fun and cute in cupcake form!  Plus, it's always a blast to see what everyone comes up with - there are some really creative combinations!

I came up with this particular combination from The Flavor Bible, which is one of my favorite resources for coming up with new recipes or flavor combinations.  It listed ginger and vanilla as flavors that go well with pineapple, which sounded perfect for a summer cupcake.  I was actually originally planning to make pineapple ice cream, but when I got home I realized I really didn't want to wait for a custard-based ice cream to cool overnight!  I decided sorbet would be easier, faster, and just as delicious, and I was right - this sorbet is super fresh tasting and full of pineapple flavor, and it seriously couldn't be any easier!

The pineapple sorbet is paired with ginger-vanilla cupcakes.  I chose the cake recipe to use up the whipped cream I had waiting in the fridge after nixing my original ice cream recipe, and then added ground vanilla and ground ginger.  It's an interesting technique - replacing the butter with whipped cream yields a light, tender, and delicious cupcake.  When I first tasted the warm cupcakes, I thought the ginger flavor wasn't strong enough, but after they cooled, I decided it was perfect - not too strong, but definitely there and a great complement to the pineapple sorbet.  Everything is topped off with a pineapple glaze and a golden raspberry to make for a delicious ice cream cupcake!  Thanks to the Cupcake Project and Scoopalicious for hosting the 2011 Ice Cream Cupcake Contest - creating these cupcakes was so much fun, and I can't wait to see what everyone else comes up with!  Be sure to check out their posts if you'd like to enter a cupcake (deadline is June 15).

Ginger-Vanilla Cupcakes filled with Pineapple Sorbet

Ginger-Vanilla Cupcakes, recipe below
Pineapple Sorbet, recipe below
Pineapple Glaze, recipe below
Golden raspberries, to decorate

For each cupcake you want to prepare, line a muffin cup with plastic wrap.  Slice a cupcake in half, and place the bottom half in the plastic-lined muffin cup.  Spread on a generous portion of sorbet, and then top with the top half of the cupcake.

Use the plastic wrap to remove the cupcake from the tin and make sure everything is relatively even.  Place the cupcake on a plate.  Spoon over some of the pineapple glaze, and then top with a golden raspberry.  Serve quickly before it melts! 

Ginger-Vanilla Cupcakes (adapted from Rose's Heavenly Cakes)
Makes about 20 cupcakes

2-1/4 cups (8 ounces) cake flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground ginger
3/4 tsp salt
1-1/2 cups cold heavy cream
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 tsp ground vanilla or 1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup plus 2 T (8 ounces) sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, ground ginger, and salt.  Set aside.
3. Beat the cream using the whisk attachment on a stand mixer (or hand beaters) until stiff peaks form - keep an eye on it and don't overmix!
4. Whisk together the eggs and ground vanilla in a small bowl.  With the mixer on medium-low, gradually incorporate the egg mixture into the cream; the consistency should be like mayonnaise.  Gradually whisk in the sugar.
5. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and add about half of the flour mixture.  Fold in by hand using a whisk.  Whisk in the remaining flour by hand until no streaks of flour remain.
6. Divide among about 20 muffin tins, lined with cupcake papers.  Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the edges are browned and a tester comes out clean.

Pineapple Sorbet (adapted from Chez Panisse Desserts)
Makes about 1-1/2 to 2 pints, depending on the size of your pineapple

1 pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut into chunks
Sugar
Vodka, optional

1. Cut the pineapple into chunks and place in a blender along with any juices.  Puree until very smooth.
2. Measure how much pineapple puree you have.  For each cup of puree, add 3 T sugar to a small saucepan.  Pour in about 1/2 cup of the pineapple puree, and heat over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved.  (If you rub a bit between your fingers, it should not feel grainy.)
3. Pour the warm pineapple-sugar puree back into the blender along with the rest of the puree.  Add a splash of vodka, if desired.  (This will help the sorbet stay soft in the freezer.)  Blend again for a few minutes until the puree is as smooth as possible.
4. Pour into a bowl, cover, and chill until very cold.  Freeze in an ice cream maker.

Pineapple Glaze

2 T butter, softened
Powdered sugar
2 T pineapple juice, more to taste

Whisk together the butter with about 1/2 cup powdered sugar until it is smooth and no lumps remain.  Add another cup of powdered sugar, along with the pineapple juice.  Whisk until smooth.  Continue to add powdered sugar until you reach a consistency you like.  You want the glaze to be stiff enough so it doesn't drip like crazy, but still liquid-y enough to spoon over the cupcakes. 

Applesauce Cake with Caramel Frosting

I love applesauce cake, and this one is particularly delicious.  Along with the usual warm spices that go into applesauce cake, it also contains freshly ground black pepper, which adds a surprising spiciness that's really tasty.  The moist cake is combined with my very favorite caramel frosting, a recipe of my mom's that comes from Ladies Home Journal. Note that you'll need to frost the cake just as soon as the frosting is ready - it can't sit around or it will harden.  As you can see from the photos below, it also cracks like crazy if you slice the cake after the frosting has set, so be sure to slice it while the frosting is still slightly warm if you're concerned about this.  Either way, it's super yummy!

Applesauce Cake with Caramel Frosting (adapted from Food52 and Ladies Home Journal)

For the cake:
1 cup all purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp kosher salt
Several grinds freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
Large pinch freshly ground nutmeg
1 large egg
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 tsp vanilla

For the frosting:
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 T milk
3/4 cup confectioners sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

1. Make the cake:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter and flour an 8-inch square pan.  Whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, pepper, and spices.  In a separate bowl, beat together the egg and both sugars until light.  Mix in the applesauce, oil, and vanilla until smooth.
2. Gently fold the dry ingredients until smooth but not over-mixed.  Pour batter into prepared pan and bake until a tester comes out clean, about 30 minutes.
3. Make the frosting: Melt butter over low heat. Remove from heat and add the brown sugar, stirring until smooth.  Return to low heat, bring to a boil, and boil for one minute.  Add the milk, and then gradually add the confectioners sugar, stirring with a wooden spoon until the frosting is thick and smooth.  Stir in the vanilla and then pour over the cake and frost while both cake and frosting are still warm.

Guest Post: Buttermilk-Pecan Coffee Cake

I'm headed back to California this morning, so I'm turning my blog over to my mom to write about our Christmas morning breakfast this year...

For many, Christmas morning breakfast conjures up thoughts of a super-buttery, rich stollen. In fact, this has been the case at our house for many, many years. Sara’s grandma had a wonderful recipe chock-full of butter, candied fruits and nuts, with a butter-cream icing daintily-decorated with little rounds of red and green cherries and almonds. Any year that we were celebrating Christmas across the miles, a loaf would faithfully be delivered by the USPS. After the passing of grandma, we tried to duplicate her recipe for several years, never to the standards we remembered.

“Let’s try something different this year!” I said.  “Ahhhhh! No, kneading in 3 pounds of butter this year!” The recipe we came up with this year comes from The Feast Within.  The taste is buttery-rich, but, oh, this is so much easier to make. Another plus is that you can mix this up quickly on what is always a hectic Christmas morning. The crispy-pecan topping makes for a festive presentation that we think almost equals that of a stollen. Put this recipe on your back-burner for next year, and thanks Sara for letting me have a turn on your blog!

Buttermilk-Pecan Coffee Cake (adapted from The Feast Within, original recipe here)

Cake:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
4 T butter, softened
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 large eggs
1-1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup buttermilk

Topping:
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup all purpose flour
4 T cold butter
1 cup pecan halves

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Butter a 9-inch round cake pan and line with parchment.
2. Make the cake.  Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon and set aside.  In a separate bowl, cream together the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla, and mix well.  Add the flour and the buttermilk in alternate additions (flour-buttermilk-flour), being careful to mix just to combine.  Scrape the batter into the pan.
3. Make the topping.  Whisk together the sugar, cinnamon, and flour.  Cut in the butter and then stir in the pecan halves.  Sprinkle evenly over the cake.
4. Bake about 35 minutes until golden brown and a tester comes out clean.  Let cool for a few minutes and then serve warm.

Happy Birthday Part 2: Chocolate Cake with Honey-Vanilla Buttercream

To start off the year, I've got a rather old recipe, all the way from back at my birthday!  This is one of the two cakes I made for my birthday party this past October, along with this Caramel Apple Cake.  While the caramel apple cake was my personal favorite, this chocolate number was definitely the crowd favorite.  It baked up moist and rich, with three delicious layers of yummy chocolate cake.  The frosting was very tasty, although I was disappointed in it in terms of appearance.  As you can see from the picture, it was super drippy at room temperature, and it also broke and never really came back together properly - anyone have any tips on these boiled flour frostings?  I did love the delicate honey-vanilla flavor, but it just wasn't very pretty or easy to work with, and it definitely looked nothing like the photo in the cookbook!  I used upside down chocolate chips to cover the flaws though, and I don't think anyone noticed too much.  :)

Chocolate Cake with Honey-Vanilla Buttercream (adapted from Baked Explorations: Classic American Desserts Reinvented)
Makes 1 8-inch, triple layer cake

Chocolate Cake

3/4 cups dark unsweetened cocoa powder

2/3 cup sour cream

2-2/3 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cups (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1" cubes, softened

1/2 cup vegetable shortening

1-1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

3 large eggs, at room temperature

1 T vanilla

Honey-Vanilla Buttercream, see recipe below
Chocolate chips, to decorate

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Butter three 8 inch round cake pans, line them with parchment paper, and butter the parchment.  Flour the pans.
2.  In a medium bowl, mix the cocoa powder and sour cream with 1-1/4 cups hot water and set aside to cool.  In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside.

3. Beat the butter and shortening until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.  Add the sugars and beat until light and fluffy, about 5 more minutes.  Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing about 10-15 seconds after each addition until the egg is incorporated into the mixture.  Then turn the mixer to low, add the vanilla, and beat until incorporated.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again for 30 seconds.

4. Beginning with the dry ingredients, add the dry mixture and the cocoa mixture alternating between the two (dry-cocoa-dry-cocoa-dry).

5. Divide the batter among the prepared pans.  Use an offset spatula to level the batter.  Bake the cakes for 35-40 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.  Transfer the pans to a wire rack and cool for 30-45 minutes.  Turn the cakes out onto the rack and let them cool completely.  Remove the parchment.

Honey-Vanilla Buttercream
1-1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups whole milk
1/3 cup heavy cream
3 sticks unsalted butter, soft but cool, cut into small pieces
1 tsp vanilla
3 T honey

1. In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, whisk the sugar and flour together. Add milk and cream and cook over medium heat whisking occasionally, until the mixture comes to a boil and has thickened, about 10 to 15 minutes.
2. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a standing mixer with paddle attachment. Beat on high speed until cool, 7-10 minutes.  Turn speed to low and add the butter; mix until thoroughly incorporated. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until frosting is light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes.
3. Add the vanilla and honey and continue mixing until combined. If the frosting is too soft, put the bowl in the refrigerator to chill slightly, then beat again until it is proper consistency. If the frosting is too firm, set the bow over a pot of simmering water and beat with a wooden spoon until it is the proper consistency.

Assemble the cake
Trim cake layers until even.  Frost the top of one layer and place the next layer on top, continuing until all layers are stacked.  Smooth frosting over the top layer, and then press chocolate chips upside down all over the top of the cake.  Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Hazelnut Crunch Coffee Cake

This coffee cake from Mollie Katzen is super light and fluffy with a tasty hazelnut crunch on top.  Although it's still definitely a "treat" for breakfast, it's definitely lighter than many sorts of coffee cake as it's made with low-fat buttermilk (or skim milk mixed with lemon juice) and the topping contains no butter.  Sadly, it's entirely addictive so any "light" factor is counteracted by the extra piece you're bound to eat.  :-D  In any case, this coffee cake is easy to whip up in the morning and an excellent addition to any breakfast spread.  We enjoyed it for a special New Year's morning breakfast - yes, last New Year, I'm very behind on posting this one! - with mom, dad, and and grandma.  Yum!

Hazelnut Crunch Coffee Cake (adapted from Mollie Katzen's Sunlight Cafe)

 Nonstick spray
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1-1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup buttermilk

Topping:
2 T packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (or 325 degrees for a glass pan).  Lightly spray an 8-inch pan with nonstick spray.
2. In a large bowl, beat the butter on high speed until fluffy.  Add the sugar and continue to beat for another few minutes.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each, and then beat in the vanilla.
3. In a second bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.
4. Add the dry ingredients alternating with the buttermilk (flour-milk-flour-milk-flour), mixing just to blend after each addition.
5. Scrape batter into pan, spreading evenly. 
6. Mix together the sugar, cinnamon, and nuts and sprinkle over the coffee cake.
7. Bake 20-25 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean.  Cool a few minutes before serving.

Happy Birthday Part 1: Caramel Apple Cake

My birthday is today, 10-10-10!  For such a great date, I had to have a great party!  I went with a wine-and-cheese theme.  Tim and I picked out 10 amazing cheeses at Cheeseboard, our local cheese shop, and I also baked two cakes.  This caramel apple cake was my favorite, although the chocolate cake, which I'll post soon, was the crowd favorite (you can never go wrong with chocolate!).  The cake itself is Dorie Greenspan's perfect party cake - which truly lives up to its name.  I've made this cake for lots of parties, and it always comes out perfectly and is easy to pair with lots of different flavors.  Here, it's filled with a sweet apple filling, and topped with my favorite brown sugar frosting.  These were the perfect flavors for fall, and I was very happy with how everything came together.

Caramel Apple Cake (adapted from honey and jam, Dorie Greenspan, and You Made That Dessert?)
Makes 1 9-inch round cake

For the cake:
2 1/4 cups cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups whole milk or buttermilk
4 large egg whites
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Center a rack in the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray two 9-inch round cake pans with cooking spray with flour (or butter and flour the pans).  Set aside.
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.  Whisk together the milk and egg whites in a medium bowl and set aside.
3. Put the sugar and the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer and, working with the paddle or whisk attachment, or with a hand mixer, beat at medium speed for a full 3 minutes, until the butter and sugar are very light. Beat in the extract, then add one third of the flour mixture, still beating on medium speed. Beat in half of the milk-egg mixture, then beat in half of the remaining dry ingredients until incorporated. Add the rest of the milk and eggs, beating until the batter is homogeneous, then add the last of the dry ingredients.
4. Finally, give the batter a good 2-minute beating to ensure that it is thoroughly mixed and well aerated. Divide the batter between the two pans and smooth the tops with a rubber spatula.
5. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the cakes are well risen and springy to the tough – a thin knife inserted into the centers should come out clean. Transfer the cakes to cooling racks and cool for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the cakes, unmold them and peel off the paper liners. Invert and cool to room temperature.


For the filling:
2 large apples, grated
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
Juice of 1 lemon

Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan over medium-low heat.  Cook, stirring often, until the apples are very tender and the liquid is mostly reduced.


For the frosting:
1-1/2 cups packed dark brown sugar
1/3 cup heavy cream
 5 T butter, cut into 10 pieces
3/4 tsp kosher salt

Note: Do not make the frosting until the cake is assembled and ready to frost, as it must be used immediately.
1. Combine all frosting ingredients in a saucepan.  Place over medium heat and cook, whisking often, until the butter is melted and the ingredients are combined.  Continue to cook, whisking frequently, until the mixture reaches a full boil that cannot be stirred down.  Boil 1-2 minutes, whisking vigorously.  (This will take quite a while, especially in a small pan - just be patient and keep whisking!  For faster results, use a wider saucepan.)
2. Remove from heat, and beat the frosting with an electric mixer for 6-8 minutes, until lightened in color and thickened to a spreading consistency.  The frosting should be completely cool at this point.  Frost the cake immediately, before the frosting forms a crust.

To assemble:
Place one cake on serving tray.  Spread the cooled apple mixture over the cake in an even layer.  Top with the remaining cake layer.  Spread the frosting over the cake quickly, as a crust will form as it cools.

Birthday Coconut Cake

I made this coconut cake for my mom's birthday this year, and I was really happy with how it turned out.  It's nice and moist with good coconut flavor.  I'm also in love with the frosting - a simple seven-minute frosting topped with sweetened flaked coconut.  This frosting is a lot easier to make if you have a stand mixer; if not I'd suggest finding a friend to help hold the blender while you pour in the sugar syrup.  My sister, Anna, was nice enough to help me out with the frosting - and she's holding the cake in the pictures below.  This really does make the perfect birthday cake - sweet, festive and delicious!

Birthday Coconut Cake (adapted from Diana Rattray, original recipe here)

For the cake:
2-1/4 cups cake or pastry flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
10 tablespoons butter
3 large eggs

For the frosting:
2 large egg whites
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
Sweetened flaked coconut, to serve

1. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment.  Grease and flour the paper and sides of the pans.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

2. Heat the coconut milk and flaked coconut until hot.  Let cool slightly, and then pulse in the blender until the coconut is finely chopped. 

3. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl.

4. Beat the butter until light and creamy.  Gradually add the sugar, being sure to beat well.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.  

5. Add the flour mixture and coconut mixture in alternating additions (flour-coconut-flour-coconut-flour).  Beat on low speed between each addition until well blended, and scrape down the sides of the bowl regularly. 

6. Divide the batter equally between the two pans.  Bake 30 minutes, until browned and a tester comes out clean.  Cool in the pan for about 15 minutes, and then invert onto cooling racks and carefully peel off the parchment paper. 

7. Frost the cake once completely cooled.  Bring the water and sugar to a boil, and then cover and cook without stirring for 1 minute.  Uncover, and boil, stirring frequently, until the mixture reaches 230 degrees on a candy thermometer (or until hot enough to spin a thread when dropped from a spoon into a glass of cool water).

8. Meanwhile, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form.  Continue to beat on high speed while you gradually add the sugar syrup in a thin stream.  Beat about 7 minutes until the frosting is fluffy and completely cooled.  

9. Frost the cake: invert one cake onto a serving plate and frost the top and sides.  Place the second layer on top, and frost the top and sides.  Sprinkle flaked coconut on top.

Here's my mom blowing out the candles...

My sister, Anna, with the cake.

A close-up of the cake.

"Happy Birthday to You..."

Banana Cake with Crackly Brown Sugar Frosting

I've been back in Ohio for the past week and a half visiting my parents, and this cake is one of the first things my mom and I baked together.  We were really skeptical when it came out of the oven, because the top had a lot of cracks and it just looked like it would be really dry and heavy.  Luckily, looks were deceiving, because the cake was moist and delicious.  On top of that, the frosting is absolutely to-die-for, maybe my favorite frosting ever! It's basically like a butterscotch fudge spread all over the top of the cake, and it pairs perfectly with the banana cake.  The original recipe was called "banana snack cake", which I can definitely agree with - this cake was easy to snack on! 

Banana Cake with Crackly Brown Sugar Frosting (from You Made That Dessert?)

8 T butter, plus more for pan
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
4 large, very ripe bananas
1 cup sour cream or yogurt (or a mix)
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 large eggs
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts

For the frosting:
1-1/2 cups packed dark brown sugar
1/3 cup heavy cream
 5 T butter, cut into 10 pieces
1/4 tsp salt

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour a 9x13 baking pan.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together to flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  In a large bowl, mash the bananas and then stir in the sour cream and vanilla
3. In a large bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar until fluffy with an electric mixer, about 2 minutes.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat another 30 seconds.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.
4. Stir half the dry ingredients into the butter-sugar mixture with a rubber spatula.  Stir in the banana mixture, and then the remaining flour and the walnuts.  Be careful not to over mix.
5. Pour the batter into the pan and smooth the top.  Bake 45-50 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.  Let cool completely before making the frosting.
6. Make the frosting: Combine all frosting ingredients in a saucepan.  Place over medium heat and cook, whisking often, until the butter is melted and the ingredients are combined.  Continue to cook, whisking frequently, until the mixture reaches a full boil that cannot be stirred down.  Boil 1-2 minutes, whisking vigorously.  (This will take quite a while - just be patient and keep whisking!)
7. Remove from heat, and beat the frosting with an electric mixer for 6-8 minutes, until lightened in color and thickened to a spreading consistency.  The frosting should be completely cool at this point.  Frost the cake immediately, before the frosting forms a crust.  The top of the frosting will become crackly and delicious as it cools.

Raspberry-Nectarine-Almond Cake

I have to say, raspberries might be my favorite fruit!  I was actually originally intending to make this rhubarb cake, but for unknown reasons my grocery store didn't have any. (Seriously, they have rhubarb in the dead of winter, so I have no idea what was going on...)  Anyway, I had to improvise, so I decided to go for a combination of raspberries and nectarines.  They made a very tasty cake with a light crumb and a nice background flavor of almonds, although I would still like to try this with rhubarb sometime!  The cake did end up a bit sweet, I think because the rhubarb would have been much more tart than the fruits I ended up using. Although the cake is plenty sweet enough for dessert, it also has that perfect coffee cake texture that I think makes it appropriate for breakfast, as well!

Happy Fourth of July! I'm off to Stockton to enjoy homemade spring rolls from my friend Kim's mom, a minor league baseball game, and fireworks! 


Raspberry-Nectarine-Almond Cake (adapted from Baking for All Occasions by Flo Braker, via Radishes and Rhubarb)

1 3/4 cup cake flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large room temperature eggs
3/4 cup well-shaken buttermilk
1 white nectarine, peeled and cut into small pieces
3/4 cup red raspberries
1/2 cup ground almonds
Sliced almonds, to decorate

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a 10-inch springform pan with oil.
2. Sift together the dry ingredients and set aside.
3. Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the vanilla and beat to combine.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition until fluffy.
4. Add the flour and buttermilk in alternating additions (flour-buttermilk-flour-buttermilk-flour), mixing until just incorporated after each addition.
5. Add the nectarine, berries, and ground almonds and very gently fold to incorporate with a rubber spatula.
6. Scrape batter into the springform pan.  Sprinkle with sliced almonds.  Bake until a tester comes out clean.

Grapefruit-Yogurt Cake

This cake was inspired by a desperate need to use up some overly bitter grapefruit marmalade.  Some friends and I went on a marmalade-making spree a few weeks ago, which turned out excellently except for the grapefruit variety.  (To be fair, we started with "bitter grapefruits" which are even more bitter than the usual variety, so I guess that makes sense!)  Luckily this cake used up a least some of the marmalade, although the original recipe made way too much glaze (the amounts are reduced below).  The cake has a mild grapefruit flavor with a more intense glaze on the outside, and is very tasty.   It disappeared pretty quickly in our house!

Grapefruit-Yogurt Cake (adapted from Cooking Books, original recipe here)
Makes 1 Bundt cake

Cake:

2 grapefruits, washed

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

6 T unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup white sugar

2 large eggs

3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt

1 tsp vanilla

Glaze:

1 Ts unsalted butter

1 T grapefruit juice (from the grapefruits above)

1/4 cup grapefruit marmalade

1. For the cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Zest one of the grapefruits and reserve the zest. Juice both grapefruits, and measure out 1/2 cup and set aside.  Reserve the remaining juice for the glaze and for drinks!

2. Grease and flour a Bundt pan and put it in the refrigerator.  Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

3. With a standing mixer, cream the butter, sugar, and grapefruit zest together until light and fluffy, about five minutes.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating between each until they're fully incorporated.

4. In a small bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup of the orange juice, the yogurt and the vanilla. Keep your mixer on low speed and add the dry and wet ingredients to the butter mixture, alternating (dry-wet-dry-wet-dry).

5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Bake for about 40 minutes until a tester comes out clean.

6. Make the glaze just as the cake is finishing baking: Melt the butter, 1 T of the remaining grapefruit juice, and the marmalade together in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Remove the cake from the oven and immediately turn it from the pan onto a serving plate. Pour the glaze over the hot cake.

Meyer Lemon Pound Cake

I made this pound cake in January while visiting my parents.  The flavor and texture were excellent.  Lemon and rosemary made a great combination here, although other herbs would also be tasty.  The crumb was light and delicate...the cake definitely didn't feel like it had two sticks of butter in it and wasn't heavy at all!  The only fault of this recipe was that it was way too much batter for a standard loaf pan.  I filled it almost full and still had lots of batter left over, which we made into cupcakes.  Even so, the cake still rose over the edges of the pan and exploded a bit!  So definitely leave lots of room for it to rise (or just cook these all as cupcakes!)

Here's a slice of the pound cake from a day we took some down to share with my grandmother.  We topped it with a super-simple sauce made of frozen berries and a bit of sugar, cooked on the stove until warm. 

Meyer Lemon Pound Cake (adapted from The Paley's Place Cookbook)
Makes 1 loaf plus 8 cupcakes

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
2 cups sugar
Zest of 2 Meyer lemons
2 sticks butter, softened
4 large eggs
1 cup milk

Lemon-Rosemary Syrup
1/4 cup Meyer lemon juice
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
2 large sprigs rosemary

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter and flour a 9x5 loaf pans and 8 muffin cups, or spray with non-stick spray.
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl and set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the sugar.  Grate the lemon zest into the sugar, and rub the zest into the sugar with your fingers until moistened.  Add the butter and beat until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.
4. Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.  In three batches, add the flour alternating with the milk, and beginning and ending with the flour.
5. Pour the batter into the loaf pan, leaving room for the cake to rise.  Pour remaining batter in muffin tins.  Bake until deep brown and a skewer comes out clean, about 70 minutes.  Keep a close watch and cover with foil if the cake begins to brown too soon.  The muffins will be done sooner than the cake, so check them often.
6. Meanwhile, prepare the syrup.  Combine the lemon juice, water, sugar, and rosemary in a small saucepan.  Simmer over medium-low heat until the sugar dissolves, 3 minutes.  Remove from heat.
7. Transfer the finished cake to a wire cooling rack.  Poke holes with a skewer all over the cake.  Brush the cake all over with the lemon syrup.  Let stand ten minutes, then remove cake from the pan and brush the bottom and sides with the syrup.

Raspberry-Lime Perfect Party Cake

Wow, this has been a crazy week! One of my fellow grad students and I finally submitted a paper that we've been working on for about two years now, so that was very exciting. It had been under revise and resubmit at a good journal, so we're hoping that they like our revisions! Of course, this has meant a little less time for blogging, but now I'm back to it with the recipe for my birthday cake from a couple of weeks ago.

This has got to be one of my favorite birthday cakes that I've made. The cake part is based on Dorie Greenspan's Perfect Party Cake. Instead of a lemon or orange flavor as I've done in the past, this year I decided to try lime. I made a 1-1/2 recipe of the cake substituting lime zest for the lemon zest and baking three layers. Instead of the jam-and-buttercream filling in the original recipe, I adapted Sherry Yard's recipe for blackberry-lime curd. Since I was going for raspberry and lime as my flavors, I just substituted the blackberry puree in Yard's recipe with raspberry puree. Two 10-oz. bags of individually-quick frozen, unsweetened raspberries did the job well. In place of the buttercream, I used a lightly sweetened whipped cream. I may not have whipped it quite enough though, since the cake layers slid around a bit! Nonetheless, the cake was super delicious. It had three layers, with the raspberry-lime curd and whipped cream between each layer. One of the things I like about this particular cake recipe is that it's so easy to switch up the flavors and create a totally different cake. I'd have to say that this particular variation has got to be one of my favorites!

The leaning tower of cake!

The birthday girls blowing out their candles!

August Daring Bakers: Dobos Torte

The August 2009 Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Angela of A Spoonful of Sugar and Lorraine of Not Quite Nigella. They chose the spectacular Dobos Torte based on a recipe from Rick Rodgers' cookbook Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Caffés of Vienna, Budapest, and Prague. The Dobos torte has three main components: an incredibly light sponge cake, chocolate frosting that's so delicious it might as well be chocolate pudding, and a lemony caramel.
Starting with the sponge cake, this was one of the best sponge cakes I've ever made! It held its structure well while still being light and tasty. We had the option to brush our sponge layers with some sort of syrup, and so I used an apricot syrup that I made a few weeks ago in the process of making apricot preserves. This added a nice tang and kept everything moist. I baked the sponge cake on a half-sheet pan covered in parchment paper and then cut it into six squares to make the six required layers of cake. Unfortunately, we didn't eat the cake until it was really dark out and too hard to get a good picture, but those layers of white cake and chocolate icing were gorgeous!

The frosting was probably my favorite part of the challenge. Although it was definitely more than a little hard to work with, it was so delicious. The frosting is basically chocolate pudding enriched with lots of butter...so although it isn't very firm (which makes constructing a non-slouchy cake near impossible), it is so, so good. I will definitely be making this frosting again, but next time maybe for cupcakes or a sheet cake rather than a six-layer cake!

Finally, I made the required lemony caramel. Because of reports of crunchy cake layers, I abandoned the step of soaking one of the cake layers in caramel in favor of dipping hazelnuts in the caramel. I dipped whole hazelnuts in caramel for the top and then poured the remaining caramel over the not-so-pretty hazelnuts and chopped them up to decorate the sides. This whole component didn't work out so well. The hazelnuts were a huge pain to peel, which is why I only succeeded in peeling seven of them for the top! The rest just refused to release their skins or broke in half when I was peeling them. The caramel also wasn't my favorite. It was hard to get it dark enough, I think because of the high water content...as you can see in the above photo, it's not very dark at all. Perhaps because the caramel flavors didn't come through well, the end result was just too lemony for my taste. However, with the whole cake assembled, this component added a nice crunch and was tasty.

Overall, I loved this challenge! This is one I definitely would not have made on my own, but I loved the end result (and it made for a really impressive presentation at a dinner party!). Thanks to our hosts for another fantastic challenge! You can find the recipe at A Spoonful of Sugar.

Please remember to check out all the rest of the tortes this month at the Daring Kitchen. Some of my favorites this month:

Dobos Torte with Mocha Buttercream
Raspberry and Vanilla Dobos Torte
Dobos Torte
Mini Tortes with Chocolate Decorations
Earl Grey Tortes
Mini Dobos wrapped in ribbon

Honey-Maple Cake

When I saw this maple cake on The Food Librarian's blog, I knew I had to make it! My photos may not look quite as tempting as hers, but it was still super delicious--sweet, moist, and flavorful. We didn't have quite enough maple syrup for the recipe, and so instead substituted quite a bit of honey, which worked well. The flavors of honey and maple syrup combine really well here, but I think either one alone would also work well.

Honey-Maple Cake (adapted from The Food Librarian)

2 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 sticks butter, softened
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup sour cream

Maple Glaze:
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 T melted butter
1 to 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1. Whisk the dry ingredients together in a small bowl. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the butter, maple sugar, honey, and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time. Beat in the vanilla.
3. On low speed, alternate the flour mixture and sour cream until everything is combined, beginning and ending with the flour. Be careful not to overmix.
6. Pour into a buttered and floured square pan or cupcake pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Cool 10 minutes in the pan, remove and cool completely on a rack.
7. Make the Maple Glaze: whisk together all ingredients and then pour over the cooled cake.

Vanilla Pound Cake

My mom and I made this vanilla loaf cake for my dad for Father's Day, but it would be equally delicious for today, the Fourth of July (just throw some blueberries on that plate!). We used a delicious recipe from Caviar and Codfish that I bookmarked a while back but never got around to making. (Oh, my backlog of bookmarked recipes! Someday I will have to start a special day for everyone to post recipes that have caught their eye from other blogs like Magazine Mondays.)

Anyway, back to the cake! We had to make a few changes, namely reducing the double vanilla (bean and extract) to just extract since my mom didn't have vanilla beans on hand, but the pound cake was none the worse for it and was absolutely delicious, with the vanilla flavor coming through very well! I also mixed the batter a bit wrong due to not having left enough room in my "butter and sugar and eggs" bowl, which may have contributed to those unsightly stripes you see in the picture...or that could be undercooking...either way, it tasted excellent so we ignored the cosmetic problems! If anything, I think you'd want to undercook this pound cake a tad rather than overcooking to ensure that it doesn't get dry. The cake is only improved by the addition of fresh fruit like these strawberries from the orchard behind my parents' house.

Vanilla Pound Cake (adapted from Caviar and Codfish, original recipe here)
Makes 1 loaf pan sized cake

3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
3 large eggs, at room temperature
4 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups (7 ounces) sifted cake flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup sour cream, at room temperature
Fresh fruit, to serve (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour one loaf pan.
2. Cream together the butter and sugar in a large bowl until fluffy and pale. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until well mixed after each addition. Add the vanilla and mix well.
3. Whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl.
4. Add the flour mixture and the sour cream in alternating additions (flour-sour cream-flour-sour cream-flour), mixing well after each addition.
5. Scrape the dough into a buttered and floured loaf pan. Bake for 45-55 minutes, until a tester comes out clean.
6. Cool and serve with fresh fruit.

Cherry-Apricot Upside Down Cake

This dessert is an unusual spin on pineapple upside down cake--the pineapple slices and maraschino cherries are replaced by apricots and fresh sweet cherries. It's also not overly sweet despite all that sugar, because the fruit and sugar topping is combined with a delicious, not-too-sweet rustic yellow cake. The apricots also add a slightly tart note (or at least the variety I used did!).

The cake is easy to pull together, and the fruit topping makes it really special. I used a fancy muscovado sugar because I had it on hand from another recipe, but any brown sugar would work well. Make sure to unmold the cake from the pan while it is still warm so that the sugar doesn't solidify and make the fruit stick. I love the presentation of this cake, with the pieces of fruit like little jewels all over the top! Enjoy!

Cherry-Apricot Upside Down Cake (adapted from Eating Out Loud, original recipe here)
Topping
1/4 cup butter
3/4 cup muscovado or brown sugar, packed
In a large skillet, melt the butter and add the sugar. Cook over medium heat just until sugar begins to bubble. Remove from heat and allow to cool while you prepare the cake.
Cake
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 /2 cup milk
1 1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp fresh lemon zest
6-8 apricots
1/3 cup cherries, pitted
1. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs and milk, and beat until well combined.

2. Slowly add the flour, mixing just until blended. Add all remaining ingredients and beat together until the mixture is smooth, about 1 minute.
3. Check the skillet. If the sugar has totally hardened, you may need to place it back over a burner for a couple of minutes until it softens. Arrange slices of apricots and cherries on top of the butter and brown sugar mixture, pushing them down slightly.

4. Pour cake batter over fruit, using a spoon to gently spread it smooth and to the edge of the skillet. Bake at 350F for 40-45 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.

I'm sending this post off to BSI: Cherries, hosted this week by Jax House!

Meyer Lemon-Cornmeal Loaf Cake

This cake is pretty much amazing. In fact, I had to make it twice in the space of a couple of days because it was so popular! It has a perfectly moist-yet-fluffy texture, and it's sweet from the cornmeal and sugar but also just the right amount of tart from the double dose of lemon. I love the technique of pouring a glaze over the hot cake. It makes the inside moist while icing the cake all in one, and it's totally non-fussy--no spreading icing or decorating. Maybe the best thing about this cake is that it's sweet enough to be a totally satisfying dessert, but not so sweet that I won't eat it for breakfast (well, I'll eat almost any dessert for breakfast, but this one doesn't feel so guilty!). Yum.

Meyer Lemon-Cornmeal Loaf Cake (adapted from Bon Appetit)

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup yellow cornmeal
3/4 cup sugar
3 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
1 T Meyer lemon zest
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Glaze:
1 1/2 cups (packed) powdered sugar, sifted
2 T (or more) freshly squeezed Meyer lemon juice

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a loaf pan and set aside.

2. Combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt in large bowl; whisk to blend. Whisk buttermilk, eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla in small bowl. Pour buttermilk mixture and melted butter into flour mixture. Using rubber spatula, gently fold liquids into flour mixture until just blended (do not stir). Scrape batter into pan; spread evenly.

3. Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean and cake pulls away from sides of pan, about 30-40 minutes. While the cake is baking, prepare the glaze: whisk together the sugar and lemon juice until you get a smooth and pourable sauce. Add more lemon juice as needed.

4. Immediately poke the top of the cake all over with a long skewer while the cake is still hot. Pour the glaze over the cake and smooth with an offset spatula. Some of the glaze will soak into the cake and some will stay on top as a glaze.

Triple-Layer Boston Cream Pie

I made this cake loooooooong ago, way back in October for my birthday! Here, finally, is the recipe. I decided on a Boston Cream Pie, since this cake is a particular favorite of mine but I'd never made one. I'd also just purchased Sky High and wanted to give it a test drive. Upon talking to my mom, I found out that this was one of her top birthday cake choices as a kid as well! Apparently she tortured my grandmother with requests for a custard-filled cake in the middle of July. :)

Luckily, this custard cooperated very well with October, and standing over a hot stove was much less arduous! All the same, I would make some changes if I baked this particular cake again. First of all, there was far too little custard. Despite the six eggs, it was barely enough to fill the cake and so the dessert ended up being a bit dry. Next time, I'd double the custard. The cake was also a bit on the sweet side, so I might cut the sugar a little. Finally, I'd go with a regular chocolate ganache and eliminate the corn syrup--although the corn syrup lets the glaze set up with a nice shine, it was a little tough to cut and tasted a bit more "plastic-y" than a straight ganache made with heavy cream and chocolate. All in all, though I would make some changes to the recipe, we definitely enjoyed the cake and it was a perfect addition to the party!

Triple-Layer Boston Cream Pie (from Sky High: Triple Layer Cakes)

2 cups cake flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cups sugar
8 eggs, separated
1 T fresh lemon juice
6 T vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
Vanilla Custard (recipe below)
Chocolate Glaze (recipe below)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottoms of three 9-inch round cake pans with parchment.
2. Sift together the cake flour, baking powder, and 1/2 cup of the sugar. Set aside. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, lemon juice, oil, and vanilla.
3. In a large clean mixing bowl, beat the egg whites on high speed until foamy. Gradually add the remaining 1 cup sugar and continue beating until moderately stiff peaks form that droop slightly.
4. Mix a quarter of the whipped whites into the yolks, then carefully and gently fold the yolk mixture back into the remaining whites. Sift about 1/3 of the dry ingredients over the egg mixture and carefully fold in. Repeat this step in two more additions, being very careful not to deflate the whites. Divide the batter into the three prepared pans.
5. Bake 15-20 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. Let cool completely in the pans.
6. To assemble, place one layer, flat side up, on a serving plate. Spread half of the custard over it, smoothing the filling to the edge. Repeat with the second layer. Place the third layer on top and pour the chocolate glaze over.

Vanilla Custard

2 T cornstarch
2 cups whole milk, divided
6 egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract

1. In a large heatproof bowl, combine the cornstarch and 1/4 cup of the milk. Stir until smooth and free of any lumps. Whisk in the egg yolks and set aside near your stove.
2. In a medium saucepan, combine the remaining milk and the sugar. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Watch carefully.
3. Ladle about 1/3 of the hot milk into the egg yolk mixture very slowly in a thin stream, whisking constantly. Continue with the remaining hot milk, working slowly and whisking all the time. Pour the mixture back into the pan. Whisking constantly, bring to just a boil. Reduce the heat to low and boil gently, still whisking constantly, for one minute.
4. Transfer the custard to a bowl and whisk in the vanilla. Let cool slightly. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto the surface of the custard. Refrigerate until chilled.

Chocolate Glaze

1/4 cup half-and-half
2 T light corn syrup
6 oz. bittersweet chocolate in small pieces

In a small heavy saucepan, combine the half-and-half and corn syrup. Bring to a simmer over moderately low heat, stirring to blend. Remove from the heat, add the chocolate, and let stand for one minute. Whisk until smooth.

February Daring Bakers: Flourless Chocolate Cake with Pear-Caramel Ice Cream

This month's Daring Bakers challenge was a flourless chocolate cake. I chose to make mine with milk chocolate after hearing reports from some other folks that darker chocolate resulted in somewhat bitter cake. The flavor was tasty, but I unfortunately overbaked the cakes a bit and they ended up a little dry. If you end up making the cakes in a muffin tin, do keep an eye on them--they went from totally uncooked to dry very quickly.

The ice cream I made was from David Lebovitz's The Perfect Scoop. I just got a new ice cream maker, and I wanted to make something really different for the challenge. I ended up going with a pear-caramel ice cream, which was easy to make and really delicious. The texture was smooth and both the pear and caramel flavors came through very well.

I topped off the whole thing with Sherry Yard's creamy caramel sauce. This caramel sauce is tangy, creamy, and absolutely delicious! I love her recipes because they are very precise and always come out perfectly. The sauce complemented the chocolate cake and the pear-caramel ice cream very well. Just use a big pot to make it so that when the cream is added, the hot caramel doesn't bubble up over everything.

Flourless Chocolate Cake (adapted from Chef Wan)
Makes 3 muffin-sized cakes

91 grams milk chocolate
29 grams unsalted butter
1 large egg, separated

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Put chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and set over a pan of simmering water, stirring often, until the chocolate and butter are melted.
2. Set aside the butter and chocolate to cool. Spray three muffin cups with oil.
3. Place the egg white in one medium bowl and the egg yolk in another bowl. Whip the egg whites until stiff peaks are formed, being careful not to overmix.
4. With the same beater, beat the egg yolks together briefly to combine.
6. Add the egg yolks to the cooled chocolate and mix to combine.
7. Fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten, and then carefully fold in the remaining egg whites until no streaks remain, being careful not to deflate the batter.
8. Divide the batter among the three muffin cups and carefully fill the remaining cups in the pan with about 1/2 inch of water. Place the muffin pan on a larger baking sheet and then put into the oven.
9. Bake until an instant read thermometer reads 140 degrees.

Pear-Caramel Ice Cream (adapted from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz)
Makes a little under 1 pint

1 1/2 largish ripe pears, peeled and cored
90 grams (7 T) sugar
1 cup heavy cream
Pinch salt
A few drops of freshly squeezed lemon juice

1. Dice the pears into 1/4-inch pieces. Set aside.
2. Pour the sugar into a large, deep saucepan. Shake the pan to distribute it evenly. Brush down any sugar crystals on the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush.
3. Place the saucepan over medium heat, swirling the pan occasionally to keep the sugar from burning. Do not stir. Occasionally, brush down and sugar crystals on the sides of the pan. When the caramel is a deep amber, carefully stir in the pear pieces. The caramel will seize up and harden, but just keep stirring and it will eventually melt again. Cook the pears for about 10 minutes, until cooked through.
4. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in a splash of the cream, being very careful as the caramel may bubble up. Stir in the rest of the cream, along with the salt and lemon juice.
5. Let the mixture cool completely to room temperature, and then puree in a blender until smooth. Force through a strainer into a bowl with a pouring spout. You may want to strain the mixture twice to get it extra smooth.
6. Chill the mixture in the refrigerator until it is completely cooled. Freeze it according to the instructions for your ice cream maker.

Creamy Caramel Sauce (from The Secrets of Bakingby Sherry Yard)

1/4 cup water
1 cup sugar
2 T light corn syrup
1/2 cup heavy cream, heated to 100 degrees
1/4 cup full fat sour cream
1 T sugar
1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice
Pinch of salt

1. Wash and dry your hands. Combine the water, 1 cup sugar, and corn syrup in a large saucepan. Stir them together with your fingers, making sure no lumps of dry sugar remain. Brush down the inside of the pan with a little water.
2. Cover the saucepan and place over medium heat for 4 minutes. Then, remove the lid, increase heat to high, and bring to a boil. Do not stir. The mixture should be very bubbly. When sugar crystals appear on the side of the pan, brush them down with a clean, wet pastry brush.
3. The bubbles should get larger as the sugar cooks. When the temperature reaches 300 degrees on an instant read thermometer, reduce heat to medium to slow the cooking process. Continue cooking until the caramel reaches 350 degrees, and then remove from the heat and let sit 1 minute, or until the bubbles have subsided.
4. Add the cream very carefully as it will bubble vigorously. Whisk to combine. Vigorously whisk in the sour cream, sugar, lemon juice, and salt. The sauce is tasty warm or cooled, and can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one month.

Our hosts for February had this to add:
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.

Be sure to check out all the other fabulous creations this month on the Daring Bakers Blogroll, linked to at the right.