Cake Batter & Crumbs

The Great Fruitcake Experience of 2008

Happy Birthday Fruitcake! I know, I know, it's not the holidays... there isn't even any snow on the ground here or Christmas carols being sung. So, why am I making a fruitcake then?? For my dad's birthday of course! From what I've observed fruitcake usually falls into one of two categories: you either love it or hate it. My dad, falls into the love it category and the rest of our family, including me, hates the stuff.

I've promised him a fruitcake for a while now, and I never got around to making it over the holidays so I thought I'd make it for his birthday. This is my first fruitcake ever, so I didn't know what to expect. I followed a recipe from Allrecipes.com for a boiled fruitcake. Basically you cook all the ingredients on the stovetop and then bake in pans. I started by soaking my dried fruits overnight in some spiced rum. They smelled really good! And, I have to say that the batter was DELICIOUS. I'm not sure what happened inside the oven that turned the scrumptious mildly-spiced batter into your typical fruitcake flavor, but it happened. I you like fruitcake, this isn't a problem of course!

I'm also not sure how I ended up with so much batter, but the recipe says to use an 8" round pan. I had batter for at least two of those, so I decided to use a pretty bundt pan that I stole borrowed from my mom. The pan is dark and heavy, and I think that might be the reason the cake got a little dry on the outside. I dropped back the temperature and cooking time, anticipating that might happen, but still ended up with a rather hard crust.

My dad said he really liked the cake. (Although he is my father and is probably biased. Thanks, dad if you're reading this!) He mentioned that it was a tad dry, but is getting moister as it sits. And, since there's no one else fighting to eat fruitcake at the house, he can let it sit for a good while! I baked the cake a week prior to his birthday. A couple of weeks would have been better I suppose. Also, I faithfully brushed a mixture of brandy and rum on the outside of the cake each day and then sealed it back up. I later jokingly asked my dad if he got a buzz from the cake due to the amount of alcohol I used. To which he replied "no, but that would explain why my tongue gets numb each time I eat a slice." Oh dear!

Boiled Fruitcake
Allrecipes.com

2 cups chopped dried mixed fruit 1 cup roughly chopped glace cherries 1/4 cup candied mixed citrus peel 1/2 cup chopped walnuts 1 1/2 cups white sugar

3/4 cup butter 1 cup milk 1 teaspoon mixed spice 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 2 2/3 cups sifted self-rising flour 2 eggs

 

	Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (160 degrees C). Line one 8x3 inch round cake tin with parchment paper.
	In a medium saucepan, combine mixed fruit, cherries, citrus peel, walnuts, sugar, butter, milk, mixed spice, and baking soda. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 5 minutes. Let the mixture cool to room temperature.
	Stir in flour and eggs. Pour into the prepared pan. Wrap outside of pan with brown paper or newspaper.
	Bake at 325 degrees F (160 degrees C) for 40 minutes, then reduce temperature to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C), and continue to baking cake for 1 1/2 hours. Remove cake from oven, and allow to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then turn it out onto a cooling rack, remove paper, and cool completely. Cake can be stored for up to 6 months wrapped in foil and in an airtight tin.

Banana Cupcakes

My husband loves banana flavored baked goods and when given the choice between chocolate or fruit flavored cupcakes, he was quick to ask for a banana cupcake. For Christmas he bought me the book 500 Cupcakes by  Fergal Connolly and it had a nice recipe for banana cupcakes.

Now, I have to admit I really only like bananas in their natural form. I was never a fan of banana bread or banana cakes, but I was happy to give these a go. I altered the mixing process after watching Alton Brown explain the science behind cake baking. I've included my method below in the instructions instead of the original recipe version.

The batter includes quite a lot of butter and in addition to your typical cake ingredients, it also incorporates a bit of nutmeg and of course bananas. I found the batter to be quite tasty. In fact, I was blissfully excited because it only had a faint flavor of banana and a wonderful nutmeg spiciness. I took the mixer beater and was in heaven. After baking these golden beauties though, I was slightly saddened at how the banana flavor intensified while in the oven. My husband though couldn't stop shoving them in his mouth, so I'm figuring they must be a winner. The recipe suggests topping these with a simple cream cheese icing. Since these have fresh fruit in them, I'm storing them in the refrigerator.

Banana Cupcakes

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 cups self-rising flour
4 eggs
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 cup (about 2 large mashed ripe bananas)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 C). Place 18 paper baking cups in muffin pans. Cream together the butter and sugar until it is pale and fluffy. Sift together the flour and nutmeg. Lightly beat the eggs into a bowl. Slowly add part of the flour mixture to the sugar and butter and then alternate with the eggs until all of the flour and eggs are incorporated. Fold in the mashed bananas. Spoon the batter into the cupcake liners and bake for 20 minutes.

Nigella's Mother-in-Law's Madeira Cake

My new favorite baking book is Nigella Lawson's "How to Be a Domestic Goddess." I picked this up over the holidays and am I ever happy that I did. I love watching Nigella's shows; she has great ideas and is down-to-earth in her family style cooking.

This cake is actually the very first recipe in the book. It has very basic ingredients (I had all in my pantry!) and it creates a terrific tasting loaf cake with a crackly, sugar-coated crust and golden-yellow center. The lemon juice and zest create a nice subtle citrus flavor that gives the cake that little, something extra to make it special.

Madeira cake gets it's name from both it's origin, the Madeira Islands, and also that it is often served with Madeira wine or also can have Madeira wine in the list of ingredients.

One important thing to remember about this recipe, as well as a lot in the book, is that it calls for self-rising cake flour. I haven't seen this in any stores in my area, but it is very easy to make. Just add about 1 tsp of baking powder per 1 cup of cake flour. I also added a pinch of salt.

My Mother-in Law's Madeira Cake
from How to Be a Domestic Goddess, by Nigella Lawson

1 cup softened unsalted butter
3/4 cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
3 large eggs
1 1/3 cup self-rising cake flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour

9x5" loaf pan, buttered and lined with parchment or wax paper

Preheat the oven to 350F.
Cream the butter and 3/4 cup sugar, and add the lemon zest. Add the eggs one at a time, with a tablespoon of the flour for each. Then gently mix in the rest of the flour and finally the lemon juice. Pour batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle with sugar (about 2 Tbl. should do it,) as it goes in the oven, and bake for 1 hour or until a cake tester comes out clean. Remove to a wire rack and let cool in the pan before turning out. Makes 8-10 slices.

Pineapple Spice Cake with Brown Sugar Buttercream

I was flipping though the latest issue of the Hallmark magazine when I stumbled across several recipes for Cakes in-a-jar gifts. These are those homemade mixes you see layered in mason jars, requiring only the addition of the wet ingredients to finish off the batter. Hallmark has five of these recipes on their webpage, including printable gift tags that include instructions on preparing each of the mixes.

I've never experimented with these types of mixes before, but I must say I was really pleased with the outcome of my cardinal expedition. I plan on trying more in the future. It kind of reminds me of sand art!

The mix was created by blending the dry ingredients and layering each in the jar. I used a wide-mouthed funnel to transfer each layer from the mixing bowl to the jar. It's important to remember to tap the jar on the counter after each layer to settle the ingredients; otherwise you may run out of jar space. The article also states that if you're going to make one for yourself, you can skip the layering steps and just throw everything into a plastic bag. Since I had never created one of these jars before, I decided to make one up. Although in my trip to the store to buy a mason jar, I quickly discovered that I couldn't buy just one jar, so I ended up purchasing an entire case of them. I guess people will be getting these as gifts in my future! For this recipe, you can make 2 8 or 9-inch cakes, 1 9x13" cake, or I'm assuming 24 cupcakes. I opted for 2 of the 8-inch cakes and then halved each of those to end up with a 4 layer cake.

I really wasn't sure what to expect, but wow, was I delightfully surprised. This really has to be one of the best spice cake bases I've ever had. It tastes so much better than the boxed spice mix kind. My husband happily agreed. The pineapple isn't overpowering at all. You can see little bits of it throughout the cake and it compliments the cake really well without stealing the stage.

The recipe suggested using either brown sugar or caramel icing. I opted to go with a brown sugar buttercream that I found in the Martha Stewart Baking Handbook. The icing had a great creamy texture and a wonderful, slightly sweet flavor. I had to double the recipe to have enough for each of my layers. The recipe is below also on their website.

Pineapple Spice Cake (Cake in-a-jar mix)

Blend the ingredients for each layer separately. Put Layer 1 in the bottom of a widemouthed 1-liter jar or canister. Build up to Layer 5 (or 6). Even and settle each layer by rapping the jar gently on the counter.

Assembling Instructions:

LAYER 1
1 cup sifted cake flour
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

LAYER 2
1 cup plus 6 tablespoons sifted cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

LAYER 3
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons cake flour

LAYER 4
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup buttermilk powder or nonfat milk powder

LAYER 5
1/2 cup finely diced dried pineapple (3 ounces)

Baking Instructions:
In mixer bowl, blend cake mix ingredients briefly.

Beat in ¾ cup butter and ½ cup water. Beat on medium for
1½ minutes. In small bowl, beat 3 eggs with ¼ cup water and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Add egg mixture to batter in three batches, beating well after each.

Scrape batter into two parchment- lined 8- or 9-inch round (or square) pans, a greased 9 x 13-inch pan or paper-lined muffin cups. (I just sprayed non-stick spray in my baking pans)

Bake for 20 to 30 minutes at 350°F. Cool in pans for 10 minutes. Invert onto racks to cool completely.

Brown Sugar Buttercream
Makes about 2 cups.
2 large egg whites
1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons

Put egg whites and sugar into the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer set over a pan of simmering water. Cook, whisking constantly, until sugar has dissolved and mixture is warm to the touch (about 160 degrees).

Attach the bowl to the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on high speed until stiff (but not dry) peaks form. Continue beating until mixture is fluffy and cooled, about 6 minutes.

Switch to the paddle attachment. With mixer on medium-low speed, add butter, several tablespoons at a time, mixing well after each addition. (If the frosting appears to separate after all the butter has been added, beat on medium-high speed until smooth again, 3 to 5 minutes more.) Reduce speed to low; mix to eliminate any air bubbles, about 2 minutes. Stir with a rubber spatula until frosting is smooth.

Easy Ice Cream Cake

My mom asked me to make this dessert for our Thanksgiving meal. She had seen it in a magazine a while back and thought it sounded really good.

The cake is lined around the sides with ice cream sandwiches, then you create an Oreo cookie crust, layer with different kinds of ice cream, and then top with whipped cream. I used vanilla, chocolate, and peanut butter ripple ice cream. I didn't have a chance to view the photos or recipe in the magazine, and I actually placed the ice cream sandwiches in the wrong direction. You are supposed to line the spring form pan so that the pan side touches the "profile" side of the sandwich. (The side where you can see cookie, ice cream, cookie) Otherwise, there's a good chance the ice cream sandwich will stick to the sides of the pan.

This isn't your typical Thanksgiving fare. I mean it had no pumpkin or cranberries in it after all, but man was it tasty! The Oreo crust absorbed some of the ice cream and became this almost brownie-like texture, that was oh so good.

Easy Ice Cream Cake
6-9 ice cream sandwiches, quartered
15-17 Oreo cookies
1 Tbl milk
3 pints ice cream, slightly softened
whipped cream

Line spring form pan with quartered ice cream sandwiches.

Blend Oreo cookies in food processor with the milk. Press Oreo mixture into bottom of pan to form crust. Layer the ice cream and top with whipped cream. Place in freezer for a few hours to set up.

Blueberry Streusel Cake

Has anyone ever ordered spices from the Penzeys company in Wisconsin? I discovered them about a year ago and quickly signed up for a catalog off of their website. I loved the catalog because it not only listed virtually every spice imaginable, but it also gave descriptions on what exactly the spice was like, where it's native to, and how to use it... an excellent reference for those of us who are still learning. In reading, I discovered that they actually import a lot of their spices from the areas of the world where they're native and most naturally flavorful.

So, the catalog got me hooked and actually over time I replaced nearly all of the spices I was currently using with different ones from Penzeys. At only a few dollars each, it didn't take too long to build up a really nice spice collection. Plus, they usually give you a free sample with each order.

Anyway, I don't own stock in Penzeys or anything, I'm just sharing information on some of great products that I've discovered and the Penzys catalog is where I found this recipe for Blueberry Streusel Cake.

Last night Shannon, my husband, volunteered to cook dinner, so I took the opportunity to make this cake that I had planned to earlier in the week, but didn't get to it. They suggested baking the cake in 9x9" square pan or 9" glass pie plate, but warned that the glass plate might be difficult to serve from. I had a casserole dish that was shaped like a glass pie plate and decided to use that. It worked really well and gave the cake room to expand without overflowing.


The cake only called for a 1/2 cup blueberries, which I thought was a little on the light side, but in the end it was a nice balance because you can taste the vanilla and cinnamon flavors in the cake instead having a complete blueberry flavor. The recipe alternates layers of cake batter and streusel and then finishes the top with a layer of streusel which turns crispy in the oven and reminds me of a giant blueberry muffin. YUM!



Blueberry Streusel Cake
serves 8-10

1/3 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tbl milk
1 3/4 cup flour, divided
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup firm fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter with sugar at medium to high speed with a mixer until fluffy. Break the eggs into a small bowl and whisk briefly, then add to the butter/sugar; mix with vanilla and cinnamon; beat to combine. Rinse blueberries, toss with 1/4 cup flour, and set aside. Sift remaining flour with baking powder and salt. Blend sour cream and milk into the batter, alternating with the flour mixture. Beat on low speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl every so often until the batter is nice and smooth.

Fold in the blueberries. Grease a 9x9" square glass pan or a 9" glass pie pan. The pie pan looks great, but it is a bit over-filled, making it slightly harder to cut and serve the pieces--if in doubt, go with the square pan.  Add half the batter, sprinkle with a layer of streusel, and then smooth the rest of the batter over the top. Sprinkle with the remaining streusel topping. Place the cake in the center of the middle rack, and bake until bubbly brown, 40-45 minutes. Remove from the oven, let cool before serving. It will still be a bit warm after an hour and should be relatively easy to slice at that point.

Streusel Topping
2 tbl butter, room temperature
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tbl flour
1 tsp cinnamon

Place all ingredients in a small bowl. Rub gently through your fingers until combined and crumbly.

Funny Realization

On my desk at work are several photographs of family and friends, including my most favorite picture taken at our wedding. Surely enough, my prized photograph is of the cake cutting event at our reception. I guess when I'm interested in something, I'm REALLY into it. (I just wish the sun would have been in a better placement at the moment, so the lighting would have been more balanced!)

Our cake was a delicious medley of chocolate and vanilla with different flavored buttercreams in between layers. It was so delectable; I wish we still had some. We're nearing our 2 year anniversary though, so it probably wouldn't taste as good as our wedding day. =)

Happy, Happy Birthday Cake

So here's my first attempt at a decorated cake.....

I baked two 9-inch cakes and sliced them in half to make 4 layers. Then I alternated the layers with chocolate and vanilla icing and then attempted to make a shell border and used a pattern to do the scroll designs. I think it actually reminds me of something Disney-like with the color choices and scroll work.

My mom was surprised. She and everyone at the party liked it and thought it was pretty tasty. Obviously, I'm still "perfecting" my decorating skills, but I don't think it's too bad for my first attempt.

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