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A Sean Foray into the Kitchen – Lemon Angel Food Cupcakes with Lemon Curd and Mascarpone Frosting

It is not the often that Sean actually gets into the kitchen and wants to cook something, so when he saw this recipe for lemon angel food cupcakes and said he wanted to make it I thought it would be a good idea. The recipe comes from the Food Network and it is one we saw Giada di Laurentiis make a few weeks ago. It looked pretty good and used some easy ingredients, including an angel food cake mix, which made it even easier for Sean to try. They looked like tasty treats that would be perfect for dessert and gave Sean a chance to impress us with his kitchen skills.

Lemon Angel Food Cupcakes with Lemon Curd and Mascarpone Frosting

For the Lemon Curd:
3 egg yolks, at room temperature
Zest of 2 lemons
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 large lemons)
1/3 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon fine salt
4 tablespoons butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes, at room temperature

For the Lemon Angel Food Cupcakes:
One 1-pound box angel food cake mix
Zest of 2 lemons
1/4 cup lemon juice

For the Mascarpone Frosting:
2 cups heavy whipping cream, chilled
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
8 ounces mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
Yellow sprinkles or yellow sanding sugar, for decorating

For the lemon curd: Whisk together the egg yolks, lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar and salt in a medium saucepan. Set the saucepan over medium-low heat and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or spatula and making sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the pan, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the mixture from the heat and add the butter, one piece at a time, stirring until it is smooth. Transfer the curd to a heat-proof bowl and cover the surface with plastic wrap to avoid a skin from forming. Refrigerate the curd until it is chilled and firm, about 30 minutes.

For the cupcakes: Set racks on the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two muffin pans with cupcake liners. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the cake mix, lemon zest and lemon juice, and 1 cup of water. Beat the mix on low-speed for 30 seconds to incorporate, then raise the speed to medium and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 1 minute. With a scoop or spoon, fill the liners three-quarters full with batter. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until the cupcakes are golden brown and the top feels dry. Let the cupcakes cool completely before filling and frosting, about 30 minutes.

For the frosting: In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the heavy cream, powdered sugar and vanilla. Whip the mixture until it is thick, about 2 minutes. Add the mascarpone cheese and beat the mixture until stiff peaks form.

To assemble the cupcakes: Use a small spoon to make a shallow indentation in the center of each cupcake. Fill each indentation with 1 teaspoon of the lemon curd. Use a spatula or piping bag to swirl a generous dollop of frosting over the top of each cupcake. Decorate with sprinkles or sanding sugar.

We skipped the decorating with the sugar on top and just went with the cupcakes as they were. The cake had a nice lemon flavor and the curd was awesome inside each cupcake. Top it all off with the rich, creamy frosting and you have a really good dessert to serve. These are perfect for any type of summer party or buffet. We kept them chilled in the refrigerator because of the ingredients of the frosting even if the recipe does not indicate that they need to be stored this way. Anyway, I think the chilling added even more to the overall flavor and firmness.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on June 11, 2014 in Cakes, Cooking, Dessert

Tags: cupcakes with lemon curd, food network, Giada di Laurentiis, lemon angel food cupcakes, lemon angel food cupcakes with lemon curd and mascarpone frosting, mascarpone frosting

Getting Peachy – Upside Down Peach Bourbon Cake

29 Apr

I had a slow work day a few days ago and took the opportunity to try out a bunch of recipes all in one day. I made a great entrée and some good side dishes too that day that I will be sharing soon, but I think the star of that day was actually the dessert. I had seen this recipe from Kitchen Daily in my e-mail a few days before I wanted to try it and the way it looked and sounded I knew it was going to be good. It is for an upside down peach bourbon cake. I love pineapple upside down cake, so I just had a feeling this was going to be a winner. While it is not the season for good fresh peaches around here by a long shot, I did have some nice looking jarred peaches that I was trying to figure out what to do with and this worked out perfectly for those.

Upside Down Peach Bourbon Cake

To Make the Topping:

3 medium peaches, cut into medium slices, or two jars of peaches, drained

1 stick butter

1 cup packed light brown sugar

To Make the Batter:

1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 stick butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup bourbon

Preheat the oven to 350° degrees. Butter the bottom and sides of an 8 or 9-inch cake pan.

To make the topping, lay the peach slices over the bottom of the baking pan. Melt the one stick of butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the brown sugar and simmer the mixture over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes until the sugar is melted. Remove the saucepan from the heat and pour the mixture over the peaches in the cake pan.

To make the batter, Sift together the all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl. In a separate large bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer until it is soft, then add the granulated sugar and mix the two together until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating the mixture well after each addition. Add the vanilla extract and the bourbon and mix well for 1 minute. Add half of the flour mixture to the wet mixture and mix on low-speed just until the mixture is blended. Add the remaining flour mixture and mix again on low-speed just until everything is blended.. The batter may appear to be slightly curdled, but that is how it should look. Spoon the batter over the peach slices and spread the batter evenly in the pan.

Bake the cake on a middle rack in the oven until the cake is golden brown and a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Let the cake stand for 5 minutes in the pan after taking it out of the oven. Invert a clean plate over the top of the pan and invert the cake onto the plate. Slice and serve.

I think this cake turned out great and would be even better with fresh peaches, but if you have some good jarred peaches it will certainly work well for you. The taste of the peaches in the sugar is wonderful as it glazes and crusts on the cake and you can get a hint of the bourbon flavor through the cake as well. If you did not want to use bourbon, Kitchen Daily notes that they have used milk in the recipe instead and achieved good results too. I’ll have to keep this one in mind as it would be great for the early summer in peach season to bring to someone’s home or to a party.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on April 29, 2014 in Cakes, Cooking, Dessert

Tags: Kitchen Daily, Kitchen Daily upside down peach bourbon cake, pineapple upside-down cake, upside down peach bourbon cake, upside down peach cake

A Bevy of Bountiful Beauty – Banana-Blueberry Buttermilk Bread

05 Apr

While I am not a big breakfast eater myself, I do like to have something around once in a while that goes nicely with my coffee in the morning. Very often I will make an easy banana bread, which is tasty, but I was looking for something a little bit different to try to that had some different flavor to it but would still be easy to make. I was also looking for a use for some of the whole wheat flour I had bought to make brown bread for St. Patrick’s Day. So I was quite fortunate when I came across this recipe from Kitchen Daily for a tasty banana-blueberry buttermilk bread that was simple to make.

Banana-Blueberry Buttermilk Bread

¾ cup nonfat or low-fat buttermilk

¾ cup packed light brown sugar

¼ cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

3 mashed ripe bananas

1 ¼ cup whole-wheat flour

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 ¼ cups blueberries, fresh or frozen

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Coat a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray.

Whisk the buttermilk, brown sugar, vegetable oil and eggs in a large bowl. Stir in the mashed bananas.

Whisk the whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and nutmeg in a medium bowl.

Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir until they are just combined. Fold in the blueberries. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan.

Bake the bread until the top is golden brown and a wooden skewer inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean, about 50 to 60 minutes. Cool the bread in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack. Let the bread cool for about 2 hours before slicing.
You could also make these as muffins if you prefer to have muffins instead. For the muffin variation, preheat the oven to 400°F. Coat 12 (1/2 cup) muffin cups with cooking spray or line the cups with paper liners. Divide the batter among the muffin cups (they will be full). Bake the muffins until the tops are golden brown and a wooden skewer inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 20 to 25 minutes. Cool the muffins in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove the muffins and let them cool on a wire rack for at least 5 minutes more before serving.

One other note about this recipe. the original recipe calls for whole-wheat pastry flour instead of just whole wheat flour, which I did not have. The whole wheat pastry flour has less protein than regular whole wheat flour, so you will get less gluten in the results and it will make for a more tender bread or muffin. If you would prefer to go that way, then use the pastry flour instead. I think the results came out just fine with the regular whole wheat flour. I liked the flavor to go along with the mix of the bananas and blueberries and it was great as a breakfast with my coffee in the morning. it gives a nice, different and easy option for something like this or to make quickly when you are having guests at the last-minute or need something to bring to someone’s home.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on April 5, 2014 in Breads, Breakfast, Cakes, Dessert

Tags: banana-blueberry bread, banana-blueberry buttermilk bread, breakfast bread, easy banana bread, Kitchen Daily, whole wheat flour

A Bevy of Beguiling Irish Dishes for St. Patrick’s Day

17 Mar

A Happy St. Patrick’s Day to you all! While for most people who think of Irish cooking as simply corned beef and cabbage and nothing more, I can tell you there are a lot of great Irish dishes you can try beyond that typical meal. There are some great meals you can choose from all over the Internet and I have posted a lot of Irish recipes on here, being he good Irish boy that I am. I have always wanted to see the cuisine beyond the corned beef and when Michelle and I went to Dublin we got to see, smell and taste a lot of different things. So if you are looking for some things to try this St. Patrick’s Day, here are some Irish meals I have posted on the blog that you can check out, including the classic corned beef and cabbage.

Beef and Barley Broth

Irish Cream and Coffee Cookies

Irish Onion Soup

Dark Chocolate Guinness Cake with Bailey’s Buttercream Frosting

Whiskey Glazed Carrots

Irish Mussels in Guinness Cream Sauce

Beef & Guinness Stew

Guinness Chocolate Truffles

Traditional Irish Stew

Corned Beef and Cabbage in the Pressure Cooker

Corned Beef and Cabbage

Colcannon

Guinness Mustard

Grasshopper Pie

Homemade Shamrock Shake

Potato and Leek Soup

Irish Soda Bread

There are also lots more great recipes out there on the Internet that you can check out from some great sources if you are looking for something a little different. I will be making the corned beef and cabbage in the pressure cooker, along with some Colcannon, cabbage and the brown bread. Of course there will be Guinness and Irish coffee later on as well.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for some more great recipes. Until then enjoy the rest of your day, have a happy St. Patrick’s Day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on March 17, 2014 in Beef, Beverages, Breads, Breakfast, Cakes, Cookies, Cooking, Dessert, Dinner, Holidays, Lamb, One Pot Meals, Pie, Potatoes, Sauce, Side Dishes, Soups & Stews

Tags: corned beef, corned beef and cabbage, dishes to make for St.Patrick's Day, Irish cooking, Irish dishes, Irish recipes, St. Patrick's Day recipes, Traditional Irish Stew

Romance in the Air and On the Plate, Part 4 – Soft Chocolate Mini Cakes

18 Feb

To wrap up our Valentine’s Day meal, of course there had to be a chocolate dessert. This dessert recipe, from Williams-Sonoma, is easy enough that you can make this at any time. You only need a few ingredients on hand and you can have an elegant chocolate dessert in under 20 minutes any night of the week or for a quick dessert when you have last-minute guests or need something for a dinner party. The soft chocolate mini cakes are a lot like chocolate lava cakes as they have a nice crunchy chocolate exterior with a soft, velvety interior.

Soft Chocolate Mini Cakes

5 tablespoons butter, cut into small cubes, plus more for greasing

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

Whipped cream, vanilla ice cream or creme fraiche for serving

Position an oven rack on the lowest level in the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly butter six 1/2 cup oven-safe ramekins.

Put the butter and bittersweet chocolate in a heatproof bowl and place over (but not touching) simmering water in a saucepan. Heat until the butter and chocolate have melted, then stir the mixture until it is smooth. Remove the chocolate mixture from the heat and allow it to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the sugar, eggs, vanilla extract and salt. Using an electric mixer set on high-speed, beat the mixture until it is thickened, about 3 minutes. Reduce the mixer speed to low. Gradually sprinkle the flour over the batter and continue beating just until it is combined. Using a spatula, fold the egg mixture into the cooled chocolate mixture until it is combined.

Divide the batter among the prepared ramekins. Place the ramekins on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until the tops are puffed and dry and a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the cakes comes out with some soft batter clinging to it, about 10 minutes.

Serve the cakes hot, in the ramekins, or inverted onto individual plates. Top with a dollop of whipped cream, vanilla ice cream or creme fraiche if you like and serve.

This is a really elegant looking dessert that takes little effort and no time at all. If you love chocolate this is a good for you to remember. You could also try dusting the cakes with a bit of confectioner’s sugar when they are done and maybe top with a raspberry, strawberry and a mint leaf for some added elegance. It was a great dessert that we all gobbled up and I had a few extra so we had them for dessert the next day as well. I just popped them in a 350 degree oven for a couple of minutes to warm them through and they were perfect.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. That’s the end of the Valentine’s Day recipes so it is back to regular recipes tomorrow. Don’t worry, I have a lot of them to share that I have made lately, including some great chicken dishes, some pork, a new risotto, turkey breast, lamb and more. until next time, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on February 18, 2014 in Cakes, Cooking, Dessert, Holidays

Tags: chocolate cake, quick dessert, soft chocolate cakes, soft chocolate mini cakes, Valentine's Day dessert, Valentine's Day menu

It’s My Birthday (Cake)! – Bananas Foster Cake

11 Dec

Today is my birthday and since it falls in the middle of the week this year we decided to have my birthday dinner this past weekend. We made some pulled pork, homemade cole slaw,German potato salad and some barbecued baked beans for the meal itself. The only new recipe there is for the baked beans, which I will post tomorrow. For dessert, Michelle had asked me what kind of cake I would like. Normally, I would have selected a Black Forest cake as it is one of my all-time favorite desserts and takes some time to make so I don’t get it very often. However, I saw this cake in the last issue of Cook’s Country and knew right away that I had to try this one for my birthday. It is for a Bananas Foster Cake and just the look and the description of the cake made it sound wonderful.

Bananas Foster Cake

For the Cake:

4 eggs, room temperature

1/2 cup milk, room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups cake flour

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

16 tablespoons (2 sticks) butter,cut into 16 pieces and softened

For the Filling and Frosting:

3/4 cup dark rum

1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar

Salt

2 tablespoons butter, chilled, plus 20 tablespoons (2 1/2 sticks) softened

4 ripe bananas

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the cake: Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 9-inch or three 8-inch round cake pans, line them with parchment paper, grease the parchment and the flour pans.

Whisk the eggs, milk and vanilla together in a bowl. Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, mix the cake flour, granulated sugar, baking powder and salt on low-speed until combined. Add the butter, 1 piece at a time, until only pea-size pieces remain, about 1 minute.

Add half of the egg mixture, increase the speed to medium-high, and beat the mixture until it is light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Reduce the speed to medium-low, add the remaining egg mixture and beat until it is incorporated, about 30 seconds. The batter may look slightly curdled. Give the batter a final stir by hand.

Divide the batter evenly among the prepared cake pans and smooth the tops with a rubber spatula. Bake until the tops are light golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 18 to 22 minutes for 8-inch pans and 20 to 25 minutes for 9-inch pans, rotating the pans halfway through the baking process. Let the cakes cool in the pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove the cakes from the pans, discarding the parchment paper, and let them cool completely on the rack, about 2 hours.

For the caramel: Cook 1/2 cup of the dark rum, the brown sugar and a pinch of salt in a large skillet over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until the spatula leaves a 2-second trail when dragged through the sauce, about 7 to 10 minutes. Remove the caramel from the heat. Whisk 3 tablespoons of the caramel and 2 tablespoons of the chilled butter together in a small bowl until combined; set both caramels aside and let the mixed caramel cool completely.

For the filling: Peel and cut 2 of the bananas into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Add the sliced bananas and the cinnamon to the remaining warm caramel in the skillet and stir gently to combine. Set this aside and let it cool completely.

For the frosting: Using a stand mixer fitted with a whisk, mix the remaining 20 tablespoons of softened butter and 1/8 teaspoon of salt on medium-low speed until it is smooth, about 10 seconds. Slowly add the confectioners’ sugar and continue to mix until the mixture is smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the remaining 1/4 cup of dark rum and the vanilla and mix until incorporated, about 1 minute, scraping down the bowl as needed. Increase the speed to medium-high and whip the frosting until it is light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.

To assemble the cake: Place 1 cake layer on a cake plate or pedestal. Spread half of the banana filling over the cake. Top with the second cake layer and the remaining filling. Top with the final layer of cake and frost he top and the sides of the cake. Just before serving, peel and cut the remaining 2 bananas into 1/4-inch-thick slices and shingle them around the top edge of the cake. Pour the reserved caramel-butter mixture over the bananas, allowing the excess to drip down the sides of the cake. Serve.

All I can say about this cake is that it tastes amazing! If you like bananas foster, and I love it, then this is the cake for you. you get great banana flavor from the filling of the cake and the frosting is out of this world with the rum in it. The caramel just tops everything off, adding amazing texture and flavor to the whole thing. This is my new favorite cake and I would have it again and again (and I have for dessert the last few nights). The only change we made is that we did two 9-inch layers instead of the three 8-inch layers. Other than that, we followed along and did everything. You absolutely must try this cake out!

That’s all I have for today. Check back again next time for some more recipes. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on December 11, 2013 in Cakes, Cooking, Dessert

Tags: bananas foster cake, bananas foster cake recipe, Cook's Country, Cook's Country bananas foster cake, yellow cake recipe

Sean’s Birthday Cake – Peppermint Mocha Cupcakes

09 Dec

Sean’s birthday was last week (he is officially a teenager now) and he invited a few of his friends over this past weekend to hang out and have some snacks and then have some cake. Since he did not want a traditional birthday cake while his buddies were here, he decided he would like some cupcakes instead. I went about trying to find something special when I came across this wonderful recipe on Sally’s Baking Addiction for these peppermint mocha cupcakes. They were the perfect thing for some teenage boys looking for a tasty and sweet snack and it fits the holiday season as well.

Peppermint Mocha Cupcakes

Cupcakes:

1/2 cup butter

2 ounces semisweet baking chocolate

1 heaping tablespoon instant coffee

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

12 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 eggs, room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup light brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract

1/2 cup buttermilk

Peppermint Vanilla Frosting:

1 cup butter, softened to room temperature

3 to 4 cups confectioners’ sugar

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract

Salt, to taste

Cupcake Decor:

4 ounce semisweet baking chocolate,melted

Crushed candy canes

For the cupcakes: preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup cupcake pan with cupcake liners and set it aside.

Melt the butter and the chocolate together in the microwave. Microwave in 30 second increments, stirring between each time. You may also melt the butter and chocolate over low heat on the stove top. Stir until the mixture is combined, then mix in the instant coffee. Set the mixture aside to cool slightly.

In a medium bowl, toss the cocoa powder, all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together until thoroughly combined. Set this bowl aside. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla extract and peppermint extract together until it is smooth. Add the cooled butter/chocolate and whisk it together until smooth. Add half of the flour mixture, then half of the buttermilk. repeat until everything is added together. Stir until it is just combined; do not overmix. The batter will be very thick, like pudding.

Divide the batter between the 12 cupcake liners in the cupcake pan. Bake the cupcakes for 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Allow he cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.

For the frosting: Beat the softened butter on kedium speed with an electric or stand mixer. Beat for about 3 minutes until it is smooth and creamy. Add the powdered sugar, heavy cream, vanilla extract and peppermint extract with the mixer running. Increase the mixer to high-speed and beat for 3 full minutes. The longer you beat the mixture, the creamier the frosting will be. Add more powdered sugar if the frosting is too thin or more cream if the frosting is too thick. Add the salt if the frosting is too sweet (about 1/4 teaspoon).

Decorate the cupcakes: Frost the cooled cupcakes. There may be leftover frosting depending on how much you use on each cupcake. Drizzle the cupcakes with the melted chocolate and top with the crushed candy canes.

I really liked the flavor of the cupcakes. The hint of coffee with the peppermint may this cupcake delicious. This recipe does make a lot of frosting, so if you have something else you can use it for, go right ahead or make some extra cupcakes and you will be able to frost them. The frosting has a great mint flavor and adding the drizzled chocolate and the candy canes just topped everything off, literally. The boys really enjoyed them and each had at least one and we still had some leftover for the next day. i would make this again for sure. They are great for a party and would be perfect for a Christmas or holiday party as well.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for more recipes. I have a huge backlog of recipes I have made to post and not enough time to post them as I have been busy with work and Christmas stuff, but I will try my best to get everything on here. Until next time, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on December 9, 2013 in Cakes, Cooking, Cooking Websites, Dessert, Holidays

Tags: mocha cupcakes, peppermint cupcakes, peppermint mocha cupcakes, Sally's Baking Addiction

Thanksgiving Dessert Recipes – CHOW

27 Nov

Thanksgiving Dessert Recipes – CHOW.

CHOW has some wonderful ideas for your Thanksgiving Day dessert table. If you are looking to do something a little different than the usual pumpkin pie or apple pie, check out these suggestions and give one a try this year!

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Posted by MikeG on November 27, 2013 in Cakes, Cookies, Cooking, Cooking Websites, Dessert, Holidays, Pie

Tags: Chow.com, Thanksgiving Day dessert table, Thanksgiving Dessert Recipes

A Throwback Dessert for the Holidays: Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

24 Nov

Pineapple upside-down cake is not something I would think of making very often. Let’s be honest – most of us who are old enough probably associate it with seeing it at parties our parents had when we were growing up in the seventies. You may not even have a good memory of it thanks to the tinny taste of the pineapple from the can and the super-sweet juice that came with it. All of that being said, Michelle had said to me not the long ago that she might want to give the dessert a try. As fate would have, when I walked into the grocery store last week fresh pineapples were on sale. I bought one and set about finding a recipe, and this one from Cook’s Illustrated seemed to be the best to use and the easiest to make.

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

Pineapple Topping:

1 medium fresh pineapple (about 4 pounds), peeled, cored and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

3 tablespoons butter

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cake:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons butter, softened but still cool

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs at room temperature

1 egg white at room temperature

1/3 cup milk at room temperature

Lightly spray a 9-inch round cake pan with nonstick cooking spray and set it aside.

For the pineapple topping, combine the pineapple and brown sugar in a large skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally during the first five minutes until the pineapple is translucent and has a light brown hue, about 15 to 18 minutes. Empty the fruit and the juices into a mesh strainer or colander set over a medium bowl. Return the juices to the skillet, leaving the pineapple in the strainer. You should have about 2 cups of cooked fruit. Simmer the juices over medium heat until it is thickened and beginning to darken and the mixture forms large bubbles, about 6 to 8 minutes, adding any more juices released by the fruit to the skillet after about 4 minutes. Off the heat, whisk in the butter and the vanilla. Pour the caramel mixture into the prepared cake pan. Set it aside while preparing the cake batter.

For the cake, adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl and set it aside.

In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a flat beater, cream the butter and the sugar at medium-high speed until it is light and fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium, add the vanilla and beat to combine. One at a time, add the whole eggs and then the egg white, beating well and scraping down the bowl after each addition. Reduce the speed to low; add about 1/3 of the flour mixture and beat until it is incorporated. Add half of the milk and beat until it is incorporated; repeat the process, adding half of the remaining flour mixture and the remaining milk, and finish with the remaining flour. Give a final stir with a rubber spatula, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl to ensure that the batter is combined. The batter will be thick.

To bake the cake, working quickly, distribute the cooked pineapple in the cake pan in an even layer, gently pressing the fruit into the caramel. Using a rubber spatula, drop mounds of the batter over the fruit, then spread the batter over the fruit and to the sides of the pan. Tap the pan lightly against the work surface to release any air bubbles. Bake until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 45 to 50 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack, then place an inverted serving platter over the cake pan. Invert the cake pan and platter together and lift off the cake pan to release the cake. Cool the cake to room temperature for about 2 hours, then cut into pieces and serve.

Taking the time to peel, core and chop a fresh pineapple is very worth it for this recipe and makes all the difference. The fresh pineapple taste and smell, to me, is so much better than what you get from a can and preparing the pineapple only takes a few minutes. The rest of the recipe is very easy and produces great results. You get the nice caramelized pineapple with a light cake and it was much better than any of us remembered it. I actually did the whole recipe in my trusty cast iron skillet. I cooked the pineapple and the caramel in it, cooled the pan with the caramel, pressed in the pineapple and poured in the batter. I think it came out just as well as it would in a cake pan, saved me a little cleaning and came out of the pan just as easily as it would a cake pan.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. I tried out a couple of more Thanksgiving recipes yesterday, so I will post those before the big day on Thursday. Until next time, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

1 Comment

Posted by MikeG on November 24, 2013 in Cakes, Cooking, Dessert

Tags: cook's illustrated, Cook's Illustrated pineapple upside-down cake, pineapple cake, pineapple upside-down cake

What’s a Birthday Without a Cake? Lemon Layer Cake for Michelle

18 Nov

Let me start off by saying that I feel I have never been much of a baker. It is only until recently that I have begun to try my hand at baking bread, and I like doing it, it comes out better (most of the time) than what you can buy in the store and it is a heck of a lot cheaper than buying bread at the store. That being said, I have never been much of one to make things like pastries, cookies or cakes. However, I did decide that this year I was going to give one a try to see if I could make a cake for Michelle’s birthday. She likes lemon cakes, so I thought I would try this one that I saw in Saveur magazine for a lemon layer cake. It seemed easy enough to try for my first foray into the land of cakes.

Lemon Layer Cake

For the Cake and Syrup:

16 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pans

2 1/2 cups cake flour, plus more for pans, sifted

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 3/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon lemon zest

4 eggs

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

For the Frosting:

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/4 cup lemon zest

1 teaspoon kosher salt

10 egg yolks

1 cup fresh lemon juice

1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the cake: heat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour two 9-inch cake pans and set them aside. Whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl; set the bowl aside. Whisk together the milk and vanilla in a bowl and set it aside. in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, cream the butter, 1 1/2 cups of sugar and the lemon zest on medium-high speed until it is pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. On low speed, alternately add the dry ingredients in 3 batches and the wet ingredients in 2 batches. Increase the speed to high and beat the mixture until the batter is smooth, about 5 seconds. Divide the batter between the prepared pans and smooth the tops with a rubber spatula; drop the pans lightly on a counter to expel any large air bubbles. Bake the cakes until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Let the cakes cool for 20 minutes in the pans; invert the pans onto wire racks and let the cakes cool. Using a serrated knife, halve each cake horizontally to produce four layers; set the cakes aside. Bring the remaining sugar and lemon juice to a boil in a small saucepan over high heat. Remove the syrup from the heat and set it aside.

For the frosting: Whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, lemon zest and salt in a large saucepan. Add the yolks and whisk the mixture until it is smooth; stir in the lemon juice. Stirring often, bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat; cook, stirring constantly, until it is very thick, about 3 minutes. Remove it from the heat, allow it to cool and transfer it to a bowl; chill the lemon curd. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, beat the butter and 1/4 of the lemon curd on medium-high speed until it is fluffy and smooth, about 1 minute. Add half of the remaining lemon curd, beating the mixture until it is smooth, and then add the remaining lemon curd and vanilla. Increase the speed of the mixer to high; beat the frosting until it is pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

To assemble the cake, place one cake layer on a cake stand and drizzle it with 2 tablespoons of the syrup and spread it with 3/4 cup of frosting; top this with another layer of cake, drizzle it with 2 tablespoons of the syrup and spread it with another 3/4 cup of frosting. Place another cake over the frosting, drizzle it with 2 tablespoons of the syrup and spread it with another 3/4 cup of the frosting; top this with the remaining layer of cake and drizzle this with the remaining syrup. Cover the top and the sides with the remaining frosting. Chill the cake to firm the frosting then serve the cake at room temperature.

I do have to say for my first time out of making a cake that it turned out pretty well. Granted, there are people who are much better at making and decorating cakes than I am, but for a novice dad trying to make a cake I think it turned out pretty well. The frosting was fluffy and smooth and there was great lemon flavor throughout the cake thanks to the zest in the batter, the syrup drizzled over the cakes and the lemon curd frosting, which I really liked. Could it have been better? Probably, but I’ll cut myself some slack and say it will look and taste even better next time around. All in all, I think this was a pretty easy one to start with and those who ate cake seemed to enjoy it.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for some more recipes. I still have lots to share, including some Thanksgiving ideas as well as some every day dinners to try. I just got the latest issue of Cook’s Country, and that always inspires some to try some of their ideas, so look out for those. Until next time, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!