Friday, October 29, 2010

Pumpkin Spice

This Pumpkin Spice Bundt Cake with Buttermilk Icing is perfect for the fall season. This is a very moist cake thanks to buttermilk and pumpkin. This is a perfect cake to have on hand for guests, as the flavor only gets better after a few days. I love to use pumpkin when baking, especially this time of year. I will be posting a few more pumpkin recipes as well as some other great fall flavors in the the weeks to come. Stay tuned!




Recipe From: Gourmet November 2005/epicurious.com


Ingredients:
For cake
  • 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened, plus additional for greasing bundt pan
  • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour plus additional for dusting pan
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/4 cups canned solid-pack pumpkin (from a 15-ounce can; not pie filling)
  • 3/4 cup well-shaken buttermilk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
  • 3 large eggs
For icing
  • 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons well-shaken buttermilk
  • 1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar



Preparation:
Make cake:
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Butter bundt pan generously, then dust with flour, knocking out excess.
Whisk together flour (2 1/4 cups), baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, and salt in a bowl. Whisk together pumpkin, 3/4 cup buttermilk, and vanilla in another bowl.
Beat butter (1 1/2 sticks) and granulated sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes, then add eggs and beat 1 minute. Reduce speed to low and add flour and pumpkin mixtures alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture and mixing until batter is just smooth.
Spoon batter into pan, smoothing top, then bake until a wooden pick or skewer inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool cake in pan on a rack 15 minutes, then invert rack over cake and reinvert cake onto rack. Cool 10 minutes more.
Make icing:
While cake is cooling, whisk together buttermilk and confectioners sugar until smooth. Drizzle icing over warm cake, then cool cake completely. Icing will harden slightly.




Farmer's Market Foods Organic Canned Pumpkin, 15-Ounce Cans (Pack of 12) PUMPKIN SHAPE MINI-BUNDT PAN (NO COLOR,0)  Nordic Ware 58148 3D Great Pumpkin Pan

Friday, October 15, 2010

Coconut + Cake = Delicious!

This coconut bundt cake is a delicious treat! If you enjoy coconut as much as I do, you will love this cake. This recipe uses coconut milk (which can be found in the Asian food section of the supermarket), coconut extract and sweetened coconut to create a velvety cake. The flavor of this cake is simply excellent. I will make this coconut bundt cake again and again. It's that good!

Recipe: Coconut Bundt Cake with Powdered-Sugar Glaze


Recipe From: Bon Appétit /October 2000, found on epicurious.com


Ingredients:


3 cups cake flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 2 1/2 cups sugar
  • 6 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
  • 1 1/4 cups canned unsweetened coconut milk
  • 2 cups (packed) sweetened flaked coconut (about 7 ounces)
For the Glaze:
  • 1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
  • Additional sweetened flaked coconut


Directions:


Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously butter 12-cup Bundt pan; dust pan with flour. Stir 3 cups cake flour and salt in medium bowl to blend. Beat butter in large bowl until fluffy. Gradually add 2 1/2 cups sugar, beating until well blended. Beat in eggs 1 at a time, then both extracts. Beat in flour mixture in 4 additions alternately with 1 cup coconut milk in 3 additions. Fold in 2 cups flaked coconut. Transfer batter to prepared pan; smooth top.
Bake cake until top is golden brown and tester inserted near center comes out clean, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Cool cake in pan 5 minutes. Turn cake out onto rack; cool completely.


Whisk powdered sugar and remaining 1/4 cup coconut milk in medium bowl to blend. Spoon glaze over cake. Top with additional coconut.



Thai Kitchen Pure Coconut Milk, 13.66-Ounce Cans (Pack of 12) Bon Appetit (1-year auto-renewal) Coconut Extract 2 oz.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Mocha Coffee Mmm

This cake is so far my husband's favorite cake. It is very moist, delicious and not too sweet. This cake has three fantastic flavors marbled together: vanilla, chocolate and yes coffee! The texture of this cake is smooth and light. It goes great with a glass of milk or a cup of coffee and is perfect for breakfast while in your pajamas with your favorite book. ;-) Enjoy!

I found this recipe on Joy the Baker's blog. She adapted the recipe from The Gourmet Cookbook. In her recipe she uses espresso powder, but I find that Starbucks Via works well too.

Recipe: Mocha Coffee Coffee Cake with Espresso Glaze

Recipe From: Joy the Baker

Ingredients:

4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda 
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 sticks (24 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups sour cream
4 Tablespoons cocoa powder dissolved in 3 Tablespoons hot water
2 Packets Starbucks Via dissolved in 2 Tablespoons hot water 

For the Glaze
1 Packet Starbucks Via
4-6 Tablespoons strong brewed coffee
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted


Directions:


Put a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.  Generously spray with Baker's Joy a 10- inch (12 cup) Bundt pan.
Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl.


Combine butter and sugar in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in the vanilla.  Add flour mixture alternately with the sour cream, beginning and ending with flour mixture and mixing until just incorporated.  
Transfer about one third of the batter to a small bowl.  Add Starbucks Via mixture and stir until combined.  Transfer 1/3 of the remaining vanilla batter to another small bowl and add the cocoa mixture and stir until combined.  Spoon all three batters into the Bundt pan, alternating so each flavor is distributed through the pan.  


Bake until cake is golden, or until a wooden spoon inserted in the center comes out clean, 55 to 60 minutes.  Cool in pan on a rack for 30 minutes, then invert onto a rack to cool completely.





Make the Glaze
Stir together Starbucks Via and 4 tablespoons coffee in a bowl until powder is dissolved.  Add confectioners' sugar and stir until well combined.  If glaze is not pourable, thin with remaining coffee if necessary.  
Pour glaze over coffee cake and let cake stand until glaze is set, about 10 minutes, before serving.  







This makes a very generously sized cake. I had to put a quarter of the batter into another bundt pan to prevent he cake from baking over the pan. I had double Joy the Baker's recipe and I would recommend making the smaller version (recipe follows) if you are not serving a crowd.




 recipe from joythebaker.com

     adapted from The Gourmet Cookbook



2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda 
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream
2 Tablespoons cocoa powder dissolved in 1 1/2 Tablespoons hot water
2 Tablespoons instant espresso powder dissolved in 1 Tablespoon hot water 

For the Glaze
1 1/2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
2-3 Tablespoons strong brewed coffee
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted

Make the Cake
Put a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.  Generously butter and flour 8- inch (6 cup) Bundt pan.
Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl.
Combine butter and sugar in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in the vanilla.  Add flour mixture alternately with the sour cream, beginning and ending with flour mixture and mixing until just incorporated.  
Transfer about one third of the batter to a small bowl.  Add espresso mixture and stir until combined.  Transfer 1/3 of the remaining vanilla batter to another small bowl and add the cocoa mixture and stir until combined.  Spoon all three batters into the Bundt pan, alternating so each flavor is distributed through the pan.  
Bake until cake is golden, or until a wooden spoon inserted in the center comes out clean, 55 to 60 minutes.  Cool in pan on a rack for 30 minutes, then invert onto a rack to cool completely.

 Make the Glaze
Stir together espresso powder and 2 tablespoons coffee in a bowl until powder is dissolved.  Add confectioners' sugar and stir until well combined.  If glaze is not pourable, thin with remaining coffee if necessary.  
Pour glaze over coffee cake and let cake stand until glaze is set, about 10 minutes, before serving.  
(This recipe can be doubled and baked in a 10- inch (12 cup) Bundt pan.  Increase the baking time to about 1 hour.) 


Starbucks VIATM Ready Brew Italian Roast Coffee by Starbucks CoffeeThe Gourmet Cookbook: More than 1000 recipes  Cuisipro 8" Egg Whisk