OK, confession time. You see that picture above, that was my attempt at making a lemon Bundt cake with a lemon drizzle. And as experienced as I am at baking Bundt cakes, this one came apart on me.

My first thought was that the cake must have fallen in love with the Bundt pan while they were in the warm, intimate environment of my oven. Because a good 1/8^th of the cake was still clinging to the bottom of the pan as the rest of the cake lay topless on my cake dish. And even then, as I went after the recalcitrant bits, I almost destroyed the pan in the process! But I got even. I drowned the remaining bits and sent them down to visit Gritsner (the name I have given to our garbage disposal), and by now they are drowning in (never mind)!

My more reasonable second thought about why my cake refused to cooperate was because I floured the pan with 7 or 8-year-old Wondra flour. I have subsequently learned that instead of using flour of any kind, I should have used finely ground nuts or granulated sugar. (You learn something new every day.) But I’m not taking any chances the next time I build this cake. (And believe me, there will be a lot more times I build this cake.) The batter is going into a 9×13-inch glass pan that I know I can use a heavy spatula if necessary to release pieces from their rectangular enclosure!

So, back to yesterday’s fiasco. You know what they always say about lemons: If life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Well, my version now goes like this: If a lemon glaze won’t cover up your Bundt cake disaster, make a thick creamy frosting instead. So, of course, that’s exactly what I did.

But even with all the trials and tribulations, the cake turned out to be very delicious. And with a perfect moist and tender crumb. And oh, so easy to prepare. And the frosting, well, I’d give myself 6 stars for this one.

As always, just when I started feeling a bit over pleased with myself, the God’s decided I needed a lesson in humility. And you know what? They must keep their eyes peeled on me all the time, because I get these lessons frequently. And for that I am extremely thankful. Because the last thing this world needs is another conceited (your word) taking up space. There are far too many (your word) already.

Peace and love to all. And please make this cake. It is really, really tasty.  

Lemon Cake:

1 c. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp.

2 c. granulated sugar

3 lg. eggs

2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour , fluffed

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. fine sea salt 

zest of 2 lg. lemons

1 c. sour cream

Preheat the oven to 325-degrees. Grease and flour a 9X13-inch baking pan. (Glass is best.) Set aside. 

Beat the butter and sugar together with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy, about 7 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.

In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest together. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in 3 batches, alternating with sour cream, beating batter briefly after each addition. Don’t over-mix. Scoop batter into the prepared pan.

Bake for 25 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. (Check after 23 minutes to be sure.) Don’t over-bake.

Remove from oven and allow to cool on a wire rack before frosting.

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting:

4 oz. (½ 8-oz. pkg.) cream cheese, softened

½ stick unsalted butter, softened

1 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice

½ – 1 tsp. lemon zest

½ tsp. vanilla extract

pinch kosher salt   

2 c. powdered sugar, or more to achieve desired thickness 

Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter together on medium speed until smooth and no lumps remain, about 3 full minutes. Add the lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla, and salt.

Reduce the mixer speed to low, then add the powdered sugar. Once the sugar begins to incorporate, increase the mixer to high speed and beat until soft and creamy. Add additional powdered sugar as needed. Frost the cake as soon as it’s completely cooled.

  

First of all, you should know that this recipe produces the best yellow cake I have ever tasted. EVER! And through the years, I have baked a lot of cakes. But until my dear friend Vicki made her amazing Southern Caramel Cake for one of our JazzVox concerts, I had no idea a yellow cake could taste so good. And be so tender. And I should know, because I have tried many recipes for yellow cake that have left me wanting. Wanting everything this recipe delivers – in spades. So, the really good news is that now you too have a recipe for the perfect yellow cake. Because really and truly, where other cake recipes might be considered mandatory only as the excuse for eating frosting, this yellow cake can hold its own with pride.

And just because I chose to frost the cupcakes in this post with raspberry cream cheese frosting, doesn’t mean that other frostings wouldn’t be equally delicious. I just wanted a raspberry frosting this time.   

And luckily, both the cake part and the raspberry frosting are very easy to prepare. No fancy ingredients in the cake, but you need to plan-ahead and purchase some freeze-dried raspberry or strawberry powder for the frosting. (Trader Joe’s carries the powder at a reasonable price.)

So, as always, keep playing in your kitchen. And even if you think you don’t like yellow cake because you often find it dry and tasteless, you need to build these cupcakes or cake to realize how delightful a truly great piece of yellow cake can be!

Peace and love to all.  

Cake Batter:

½ c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature  

3 T. vegetable oil

1¼ c. granulated sugar

3 lg. eggs, room temperature

1 lg. egg yolk, room temperature

1 T. pure vanilla extract

1½ c. fluffed up or sifted cake flour

½ tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. salt

½ c. sour cream

In the bowl of your stand mixer, cream the butter, oil, and granulated sugar on high until light and fluffy, about 5-6 minutes. (Do not skimp on the time for this step. Very important.)

Add eggs and egg yolk one at a time until well incorporated. Scrape the bowl as needed. Add in the vanilla extract and mix until well combined.

In a medium sized bowl whisk the cake flour, baking powder, and salt together.   

With mixer on low speed, alternate adding in flour mixture and sour cream. Do not over mix.

Cupcakes:

Using a #16 (¼ cup, 2-oz.) ice cream scoop, drop batter into cupcake lined muffin tins 7/8 full. (Makes about 16 cupcakes.)

Bake in a pre-heated 350-degree oven for about 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the internal temperature reaches 210-degrees. Don’t over-bake.

Remove from oven and let cupcakes cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting each cupcake. Store in the refrigerator. Decorate with fresh berries just before serving. 

Layer Cake:

Grease and flour two 8-inch round cake pans. Pour the batter evenly into the pans. Shake to help even off the batter.

Bake in a pre-heated 350-degree oven for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick stuck into the middle of the pan comes out clean and the internal temperature reaches 210-degrees. Do not overbake. Check after 17 minutes to be sure.   

Remove pans from oven and place on cooling racks for 10 minutes. Then gently remove cakes from pans and allow to cool completely before icing.

To frost the cake, place one of the cakes upside down on your cake plate.   Spread icing over layer. (Not too much.) Add the top layer and frost just the top. Store in refrigerator. When ready to serve, decorate with fresh berries.  

RASPBERRY (OR STRAWBERRY) CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

 ¼ c. (½ stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

3 T. freeze-dried raspberry or strawberry powder

pinch salt

1 tsp. Chambord (black raspberry liqueur), opt.

1¾ c. powdered sugar, plus more if required

fresh raspberries or strawberries, for decoration

Cream butter, powdered sugar, and freeze-dried raspberry powder together until light and fluffy. Add the salt, Chambord, and enough powdered sugar to make a firm but not stiff consistency. Beat until smooth and easy to spread. Spread as described above.   

   

Hurray, it’s fresh rhubarb season again! And we happen to be dedicated fans of this very delicious vegetable. Yup, rhubarb is a veggie and a very undemanding perennial veggie to boot. Apparently, rhubarb originated in Asia and although the stalks resemble celery, they are wildly different from celery. Celery is part of the parsnip family and the leaves are not only edible but cherished for their intense flavor. (I actually pick celery based on the bunch that contains the most leaves. If possible, I use the leaves in every soup I build that calls for celery.) While rhubarb belongs to the buckwheat family. And you should only eat the stems of the rhubarb plant. Both the stalks and the leaves contain oxalic acids which are toxic. However, the stalks contain much less of the toxin and therefore are considered safe to eat. But, it is recommended that you harvest rhubarb stalks before the 24^th of June. Apparently, after that, the stalks also contain too much oxalic acid to be considered safe to eat. (This has never been a problem for me. I harvest my rhubarb way before that time, because I can’t wait to make it into a dessert – like, for example, this rhubarb coffee cake.)

I have been making a rhubarb coffee cake very similar to this one since the late 90’s. (Before that I had never been fond of coffee cakes. Usually too bland for my taste.) But, as my baking skills have improved, I reviewed my old recipe and decided to change things up a bit to make the cake even tastier. So, this is what I came up with.

I served this cake to members of the jazz group Seabreeze, who had not met indoors since the beginning of the covid crisis. They had met three times out-of-doors, but for one reason or another, had not been allowed to complete a full rehearsal. But since all the members and Mr. C. and I are fully vaccinated, the group met in our living room yesterday. Although Mr. C. practices classical pieces most days, it was wonderful hearing jazz performed in our home again. I just sat and listened. And of course, I had to serve them a treat. They are all such wonderful and talented guys, that it was actually my treat to fix something special for them. And they loved the cake. As did I.

So, if you are lucky enough to have some rhubarb on hand, consider building this moist and delicious coffee cake. And no, you don’t have to serve it dolloped with whipped cream. But I’m telling you true, it doesn’t detract from the pleasure either.

As always, enjoy your time in the kitchen. Take pleasure in whatever you fix that makes your family or your guests happy. And even the times when you try a new recipe and it doesn’t come out as delicious as you expected, keep going. Not every recipe is going to result in perfection. But you can learn from those recipes. And at least for me, learning is half the fun.

Peace and love to all.  

For the cake:

½ c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temp.

1 c. granulated sugar

½ c. brown sugar, packed

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour, fluffed

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. kosher salt

1 c. buttermilk

4 slightly rounded c. diced fresh rhubarb

½ c. chopped walnuts

In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla.

Whisk the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt together in a small bowl. Add to the creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk just until thoroughly combined. Stir in rhubarb and chopped walnuts. Pour into a lightly buttered 13×9-inch baking dish. (Glass preferred.) (Don’t bother to wash the mixing bowl. You can use it to assemble the topping.) While the cake enjoys it’s first 25 minutes in the oven, prepare the topping.

Bake in a pre-heated 350-degree oven for 25 minutes before adding the topping. After 25 minutes, remove from oven, reduce the heat to 325-degrees, evenly sprinkle on the topping, return to oven, and continue baking for another 23-25 minutes or until the topping is a nice light brown and a pick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Do not over-bake. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.

Serve room temperature or slightly warmed in the microwave. Cointreau Whipped Cream is perfect with this coffee cake. See recipe below.

Topping:

1 c. unbleached all-purpose flour

½ c. brown sugar, packed

1 T. baking powder

¼ tsp. kosher salt

6 T. (¾ stick) unsalted butter, room temp.

¼ c. finely chopped walnuts

In a small bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. (I use my fingers for this not-so-delicate operation.) Mix in the finely chopped walnuts. Set aside until needed.

Cointreau Whipped Cream

2 c. (1 pint) heavy cream

¼ c. powdered sugar

½ tsp. vanilla paste or extract

2-3 tsp. Cointreau (or other orange flavored liqueur)

Whip the cream to stiff peaks. Whip in the powdered sugar, vanilla, and Cointreau. Dollop on pieces of cake just before serving.  

 

OK, confession time. I am currently experiencing an insatiable hunger for cake. Why? I have no idea. Granted, I have always loved a really delicious, moist and tender cake. But that still doesn’t explain my overwhelming desire to produce one every few days! The only thing that might partially explain this current phenomenon, is that for the 12 years prior to our last JazzVox home concert in January of 2020, I was building fun desserts to serve our guests every month that we were not traveling. (104 concerts in our home, and at least 30 in other hosts homes. So, you do the math. And yes, some months fixing food to serve guests at other locations.) So, many of the desserts I served included cake, in some form or other. (There are only so many kinds of desserts you can serve 25-44 guests during a 15-minute intermission.) So, apparently my sweet tooth has been feeling a bit neglected lately. Especially since all the Christmas cookies have finally been eaten!

Now that you all know more about my life than you ever wanted or needed to know, I’ll get back to telling you about these delicious cupcakes. But first, you might be wondering why cupcakes rather than a 9×13-inch sheet cake, for example. Well, there’s method to my madness in this regard. Cupcakes are easier to share. (Special delivery to our dear friends and neighbors Mark and Vicki.) And cupcakes come portion controlled. Plus, I think there is more frosting on cupcakes than on regular cut pieces of cake. At least on my cupcakes there’s more frosting! So, until we can once again entertain guests in our home, it’s probably going to be cupcakes rather than a big old honkin’ cake.

Now, about these cupcakes. If you enjoy a moist and fluffy chocolate and coffee flavored cake, you are going to love these cupcakes. And then when topped with an espresso cream cheese frosting, I mean really, what’s not to like? (And yes, if you read my blog regularly, this is the same frosting that’s on the Bailey’s Irish Cream Cupcakes with Espresso Cream Cheese Frosting recipe.)

And I must say, it’s very refreshing not to have to use a mixer for the cake batter. So, ease of preparation is another reason to love this cake. Of course, you will need a mixer for the frosting. But very few recipes come with out some effort involved. But truly, any effort expended on these cupcakes is worth it. They are simply delicious. And worthy of your time.

As always, keep having fun in your kitchen. Keep preparing healthy and delicious food. And every so often, make your family a treat.

It has been one heck of a ride this past year. And unfortunately, the ride isn’t over yet. So, anything we as cooks can do to make life more pleasant for ourselves and our families – I say – let’s just do it. And if it means brownies at bedtime, so what! Or pancakes with strawberries and whipped cream for dinner. Again, who cares! Just a slight shift from normal can keep life exciting. And from becoming unbearably consistent.  

Peace and love to all.    

1½ c. unbleached all-purpose flour, fluffed

1⅓ c. granulated sugar

4½ tsp. good quality cocoa powder

1 tsp. espresso powder

½ tsp. kosher salt

1½ tsp. baking soda

¾ tsp. baking powder

¼ c. sour cream

¼ c. buttermilk

2 lg. eggs

¾ c. water

¼ c. + 2 T. vegetable oil

chocolate covered coffee beans, decoration, opt.

Add 16-18 papers to a cupcake pan.

Whisk the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, espresso powder, salt, soda, and baking powder together in a bowl.

In a separate bowl, whisk the sour cream, buttermilk, eggs, water, and oil together. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and beat by hand for a couple of minutes or until the batter is well combined and kind of glossy.

Fill the cupcake papers ¾ of the way full. (Do not be tempted to add more!) Bake in a pre-heated 350-degree oven for 15-19 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before frosting. Top with roughly crushed chocolate covered coffee beans, if desired.  

Espresso Cream Cheese Frosting:

¼ c. (½ stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

4 oz. (½ 8-oz. pkg.) full fat cream cheese, room temperature  

¾ tsp. espresso powder (I use Medaglia d’Oro instant espresso coffee)

tiny pinch kosher salt   

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1½ c. powdered sugar (more or less as needed)

Beat the butter on low speed until softened. Add the cream cheese and beat until the mixture is creamy, smooth, and no lumps. Add the espresso powder, salt, and vanilla. Gradually add the powdered sugar until thoroughly blended. (The frosting should be quite soft. Just enough powdered sugar to hold peaks.)  

OK, this is my humble attempt to replicate Carousel Cakes (a bakery in Nanuet, NY) Bailey’s Espresso Cream Cake. Well, not exactly replicate the cake because their beautiful cake is way too fussy for me. But somewhere at least in the same vicinity as far as flavor goes. And why this cake you might ask? Well, somewhere I either heard or read about Carousel’s fabulous cake, and it sounded so darned delicious I just had to figure out what all the fuss was about. But it being covid-19 season, and no possibility of serving cake to guests, I knew a whole cake for just the two of us was way out of the question. So, I immediately thought about cupcakes. And forget about any kind of filling. Just concentrate on the cake and frosting part.

Since I had never tasted the real thing, I figured that what I didn’t know wouldn’t hurt me! I did consider ordering a cake, but when I went on the bakery’s site, the cake was unavailable – sold out. (My first clue that this must really be quite the cake! Especially considering the price. $49 for the cake and who knows how much for the shipping!) So, no, even if one had been available, I wouldn’t have placed an order. But I was still intrigued with the idea of Bailey’s Irish Cream in combination with espresso.

So, I decided on a Bailey’s flavored cupcake with a simple espresso flavored cream cheese frosting. And by golly – it worked. What a winning combination. And both the cake part and the frosting had been totally easy to prepare. Better and better! (Or maybe that should read butter and butter!)

I started with a standard yellow cake recipe and substituted Bailey’s for the milk. Easy-peasy. Then for the frosting, my simple cream cheese frosting recipe with the addition of espresso powder. And the result? A delightful cupcake with an unusual, but delicious combination of flavors.

So, next time you get a yen for cupcakes, I would definitely recommend this recipe. And like I said above, both the cake part and the frosting are very easy to build. And the flavors are out of this world. Mr. C. was actually effusive yesterday after his first bite. (I don’t get effusive very often from him!) And, he had one this morning with his morning coffee before I was even out of bed! That too tells me he is now a devoted fan. I hope you become one too.

As always, have a blast in your kitchen. Continue to make fun and delicious dishes for yourself and your family. And try these cupcakes. They really are amazing.

Peace and love to all.    

For the Cupcakes:

¾ c. (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature 

1½ c. granulated sugar 

3 lg. eggs, room temperature 

1½ tsp. vanilla extract

¾ c. sour cream

2½ c. cake flour 

2¼ tsp. baking powder 

¾ tsp. kosher salt

¾ c. Baileys Irish Cream 

In the bowl of your stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until well combined, about 4 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix thoroughly. Mix in the sour cream until well combined.

In a large bowl whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together. Gently beat in half of the flour mixture. Mix until just combined. Add the Baileys Irish cream. Mix until just combined. Add the remaining flour and mix just until all the flour is incorporated into the other ingredients. In other words, don’t over-mix at any stage!

Using an ice cream scoop, drop batter into cupcake lined muffin tins 7/8 full. (About 22)

Bake in a pre-heated 350-degree oven for about 16-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Don’t over-bake.

Remove from oven and let cupcakes cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting. 

For the Frosting:

½ c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 (8-oz.) pkg. full fat cream cheese, room temperature  

1½ tsp. espresso powder (I use Medaglia d’Oro instant espresso coffee)

tiny pinch kosher salt   

2 tsp. vanilla extract

3 c. powdered sugar (more or less as needed)

Beat the butter on low speed until softened. Add the cream cheese and beat until the mixture is creamy, smooth, and no lumps. Add the espresso powder, salt, and vanilla. Gradually add the powdered sugar until thoroughly blended. (The frosting should be quite soft. Just enough powdered sugar to hold peaks.)  

When autumn arrives, has there ever been a better twosome to toast the change of seasons than apples and caramel? I think not. Well OK, soup and homemade bread works too. But if you want to raise a cheer, it should be with something a little more auspicious than a humble bowl of soup and a piece of bread. At least to my thinking. Of course a Hot Buttered Rum or a warm cup of Glögg and a Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies or two would work also. But for today I’m going to celebrate apples and caramel. (My blog, my choice!)

So the other day I got a wild hair to make a caramel-apple upside down cake. (And no, I have not made many upside down cakes before. So this was going to be a fairly new experience for me.) So why now you might ask? And I would have no adequate answer to give you. “Just because” is probably as close as I could come to the actual reason.

But then I love caramel. And apples are OK too. And I was in the mood for cake because I truly love a really delicious homemade cake. All I knew was that I didn’t want to bake a huge old cake because then I would be forced to eat more than I really should. And then I’d feel guilty. And if I ended up throwing some of it away I’d also feel guilty. (We still don’t have a new freezer even though we ordered and put a down payment on one months ago! Grrrr….) So, how could I avoid guilt tripping myself in any manner available to do just that? (I’m so very good at it, you see.)  

So to the internet to get some ideas about how to build an upside down apple caramel cake. And to my delight, on the pinchofyum.com site, (great site BTW) was what appeared to be the perfect recipe for me. A salted caramel-apple cake that would fit in a 9-inch cake pan. So, not too large a cake. In fact, just the perfect size to share with our neighbors Mark and Vicki.   

Now sometimes I try a recipe and it’s just OK tasting, or it doesn’t have all of the qualities I hoped for. And you never know about it. Not this recipe. This wonderful recipe is delicious and absolutely what I had in mind. And the recipe contains common ingredients that are easy to put together. So in my book, this is a perfect recipe. Thank you very much Lindsay for this delightful, welcome to autumn, recipe.

So as always, be content with what you have, who you are, and for what’s to come.

I’ve been a bit concerned about how I was going to handle being confined to quarters for the long fall and winter ahead. But as I was drifting off to sleep last night, I thought about all the wonderful delights fall and winter have to offer that I can enjoy from the comfort of my own home. Watching the clouds come and go. Seeing beautiful colored autumn leaves drift by my window. (Sounds like a song lyric, right!?) Catching a bit of movement out of the corner of my eye as a tree twists and turns in the wind. Sit in my comfortable den chair and read. And cook up a storm.

And then there’s the holidays to plan for.

This year of course is going to be different than any previous year. But there are still things I can continue to do to make life a little bit more fun for myself and my family and friends.   

Every year I send a goody package to each of my kids. I bake fruit cake (yes fruitcake can be delicious), candy, and cookies. So this year isn’t going to be any different in that regard. (Maybe more types of cookies and candy. Maybe different types of goodies like spice and herb blends. Maybe gourmet chocolate or even a large bottle of really good vanilla or a favorite ice cream sauce. Lots of fun for me to plan and build, and I’ll bet there will be some delight on the other end too.) And I can plan fun things to build for my friends. Who knows, there could even be something containing alcohol involved. Been known to happen.

And then, maybe it will snow. I love snow. I’m just about as bad now as I was as a kid praying for a snow day. And then before I know it, the first signs of spring will appear. And a whole new cycle will begin. And once again I will be reminded how lucky I am and how wonderful life really is for me. May each of you also find joy in your life. Peace and love to all.

For the Caramel and Apple Part:

½ c. unsalted butter

2/3 c. brown sugar, packed

¼ tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

½ tsp. freshly ground nutmeg

¼ tsp. ground cloves

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 c. thinly sliced peeled apple (takes about 1 big apple)

Generously butter a round 9-inch high sided cake pan. (If you don’t have a high sided cake pan, be sure to place a rimmed baking sheet under your cake pan before placing in the oven. A bit of the caramel will undoubtedly try and probably succeed in escaping while the cake is baking. At least it did for me. (And yes, I just ordered a couple of high sided cake pans because I plan to make this cake again and again. The girl can learn!)

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and vanilla. Keep over medium-low heat and cook for about 3 minutes or until smooth and slightly thickened. Pour the caramel into the greased cake pan and top with the apple slices.    

For the Cake:

½ c. (1 stick) cold unsalted butter*

1 c. brown sugar, packed

2 lg. eggs

¼ c. whole milk

1½ c. unbleached all-purpose flour, fluffed

1 tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. kosher salt

½ tsp. ground cinnamon

coarse sea salt for topping

Beat the cold butter and brown sugar until well combined. (The mixture will not be creamy and light like you would normally get if you started with room temperature butter. That’s what you want. See reason below.) Scrape the sides of the bowl. Add the eggs and milk and beat until incorporated. (Might be a few small lumps. That’s fine. Not too worry.) Scrape the sides of the bowl again or whenever the ingredients are sticking to the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, and cinnamon together. Stir into the butter mixture just until combined. Spoon the stiff cake batter onto the top of the apples. Using an offset spatula, carefully smooth out the cake batter until the apples and caramel are evenly covered.    

Bake in a pre-heated 325 degree oven for 45 minutes. Stick a toothpick into the cake part. If it comes out clean and the top of the cake is a lovely brown, the cake is done. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes. (Letting the cake cool for 10 minutes is very important.) Using a knife or offset spatula, cut around the edge of the cake to make certain it is not still attached to the pan. Invert the cake onto a cake plate and tap the top until the cake comes out onto the plate. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt and serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. Lovely warmed or at room temperature.  

*I use cold butter for this recipe because I want the batter to stay a bit stiff and not incorporate as much air as if I had started with room temperature butter. When you cream sugar with room temperature butter, the sugar crystals punch little holes in the butter and those holes capture air. In this recipe, I prefer the cake part to be fairly dense.   

For whatever reason, I had never made a Boston cream cake before yesterday. And yes, I know most people refer to as a pie, but being a baker who definitely knows the difference between a pie and a cake, well, I just had to call it what it is. It’s a cake! Anyway…………….

Yesterday was my birthday. And what I really wanted for my birthday was a chance to bake this cake that I had been salivating over for several years. I had always wanted to serve it to our JazzVox guests. But every time I seriously considered serving it to 35-40 people during a 15 minute intermission, I thought better of it. Ya think!?!? And that didn’t even take into account the amount of time it would have taken me to prepare the darn thing to begin with! Anyway…………..

I made this amazing creation yesterday. And it was, and still is, almost perfect. The cake part is very moist, the butter cream between the cake layers absolutely delicious, and the ganache topping – well – way over the top too much and too rich. And I know what you’re thinking. Patti, you could have made half as much of the ganache and it would have been the perfect amount. Obviously great minds think alike. Because that’s exactly what I did in writing out the recipe for you all. I halved the ganache recipe, and frankly, next time (and there will be a next time), instead of using dark chocolate chips, I’m going to use milk chocolate chips. And maybe bourbon or Cointreau instead of Kahlua. I think for my particular tastes, I will be happier with a different combination. But obviously, you can use any old chocolate chips or booze you want in the recipe. Anyway………….

I’m also not going to place the hot ganache in the refrigerator to get really cold before I try to “dribble” it over the cake. Major mistake. There was no dribbling ganache over a cake happenin’ in my kitchen yesterday, I’ll tell you that! Even though I tried to warm the ganache by placing it in the microwave, I finally just gave up and spread the darned stuff over the top of the cake. I simply had never used a ganache as a “drizzle” before. But now that I have done some reading on the subject, I will never make this same mistake again. And if you follow the recipe below, you won’t either when you make your very own Boston cream cake. And you simply must make this cake. It is truly phenomenal. Anyway…………..

Have fun in your kitchen. Learn from your mistakes (or mine as in this case), because any cook worth their salt is going to have plenty of mishaps along the way. It’s inevitable. And believe me, I’ve had more than my fair share of “kitchen casualties”. But I just keep on truckin’ and advise you to do the same.

As always, peace and love to all

Pastry Cream Filling:

6 egg yolks

½ c. granulated sugar, divided

2 c. whole milk

¼ c. unbleached all-purpose flour

1/8 tsp. fine sea salt

4 T. (½ stick) unsalted butter

1½ tsp. vanilla extract

Combine the egg yolks and half of the granulated sugar in a bowl; whisk until lighter in color. Add the flour and the salt; mix well to combine.

Place the milk and the remaining sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. When the milk just begins to boil, remove from heat. Very slowly dribble the hot milk into the egg yolk mixture, whisking the entire time. When about half of the milk has been added, place all of the yolk mixture into the saucepan over medium heat.

Using a whisk, continually beat until the mixture comes to a boil. Let boil for about 1 minute, stirring constantly. The mixture will quickly thicken.

Remove from heat and stir in the butter and vanilla extract. (Feel free to strain if you can see visible lumps.)

Place the pastry cream into a bowl and cover directly with plastic wrap that has been ever so lightly sprayed with cooking spray. (This will prevent a skin from forming on the pastry cream.) Refrigerate for at least 3 hours before assembling the cake.

Yellow Cake:  

½ c. whole milk

½ c. sour cream  

1 c. (2 sticks) un-salted butter, room temperature

1¾ c. granulated sugar  

2 tsp. vanilla

3 lg. eggs

2 lg. egg yolks

2¼ c. cake flour, lightly measured (fluffed)  

1½ tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

Whisk the milk and sour cream together. Set aside.

In the bowl of your stand mixer, beat the butter on medium speed for 1-2 minutes. Add the granulated sugar and beat for 4-5 minutes or until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the vanilla. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing just until combined after each addition. Scrape down the mixing bowl as often as required.

Whisk the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Add 1/3rd of the flour mixture to the batter and mix just until combined, again, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add half of the milk/sour cream mixture and combine. Add another 1/3rd of the dry ingredients, mixing just until combined. Add the last half of the milk/sour cream mixture and beat until just combined. Add the final 1/3rd of the dry ingredients and mix just until blended, scraping down the sides of the bowl as a final gesture of good incorporation.  

Lightly grease and parchment paper line 3 – 9-inch cake pans. Scoop the batter evenly into the prepared pans and level the batter with an offset spatula.  

Bake in a pre-heated 325 degree oven for 22-26 minutes or until lightly golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs. Don’t overbake or the cake will be dry.

Remove from oven and place the pans on a cooling rack. When the cake layers are completely cool, remove from pans. (Yes you must discard the parchment paper.) Place the first layer on a cake plate. Spread half of the cold pastry cream over the top just to the edge. Place the next cake layer over the pastry cream, and spread with the remaining pastry cream. Place the third cake layer on top.

Drizzle the ganache on top of the cake allowing it to dribble down the side. Refrigerate the cake until ready to serve. (If you don’t use all of the ganache, that’s just fine. It makes a terrific topping for ice cream.)  

Chocolate Ganache:

½ c. + 2 T. milk, semi-sweet, or dark chocolate chips

½ c. heavy cream

1 T. Kahlua, bourbon, Cointreau, Bailey’s Irish Cream, etc.  

¼ tsp. vanilla

tiny pinch salt

Place chocolate chips in a heat-proof bowl. Set aside.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring cream just to a boil. Immediately pour cream over chocolate and let sit without stirring for 1-2 minutes. Then, whisk mixture gently until completely melted and smooth. Add your alcohol of choice, vanilla, and salt. Whisk until the ganache is velvety. But don’t over work.

Let cool for 15 minutes, then pour over the cake.  

More and more I find myself gently hitting my forehead with the palm of my hand wondering why in heavens sake I hadn’t thought of this or that (insert whatever it might be) 30, 40, even 50 years ago?!?! And my latest revelation that demanded a personal head and hand altercation involved malted milk. What would happen if I added malted milk powder to a luscious chocolate buttercream frosting? And holy malted milk batman, what an absolutely whopper of an idea that turned out to be!

Now I have to give credit where inspiration is due.

Recently while we were out and about at lunchtime, the urge for a cheese burger with extra pickles overcame us both. And as is often the case, Mr. C. ordered a chocolate malted milk shake to go along with his burger. I try to stay away from ice cream and sugar as much as possible, but that day I just had to have a sip of his shake. OMG. With one little sip, my love for malted milk came rushing back with a vengeance. Leap forward a couple of weeks.

While coming up with a dessert for our last 2 JazzVox (afternoon and evening concerts on the same day), I decided on cake. First I thought about baking one of my favorite chocolate cakes Mocha Chocolate Cake with Sour Cream Frosting or Chocolate Sheet Cake with Chocolate Hazelnut Topping. (Both on this site BTW) But then I decided I wanted to fix something brand new for our guests. And as I was pondering my choices, malted milk popped into my head. I had never used malted milk powder before, so I needed to figure out how I could incorporate it into my baking. I didn’t even really know what it was. So in case you too might be interested – malted milk is a powdered gruel made from a mixture of malted barley, wheat flour, and evaporated whole milk. So no, it is not gluten free. But oh my, what it does for chocolate frosting is amazing.

So if you too love the taste of malted milk, give this recipe a try. And as I discovered when doing my research, I am not the only cook who wants to use this amazing product. So go online. There are some fantastic looking recipes out there.

So please enjoy this recipe. And look for more malted milk recipes to come. I just have to believe that there is a malted milk brownie recipe out there just waiting for me to develop. Yum. I can almost smell the brownies baking ……almost ……

Yellow Sour Cream Cake: recipe fromJocelyn Delk Adams (Grandbaby Cakes web site)

• 1 c. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature 
• 1/3 c. vegetable oil
• 2½ c. granulated sugar
• 6 lg. eggs, room temperature
• 2 lg. egg yolks, room temperature
• 2 T. pure vanilla extract
• 3 c. fluffed up or sifted cake flour (see how to make cake flour below)
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 c. sour cream

In the bowl of your stand mixer, cream the butter, oil, and sugar on high until light and fluffy, about 5-6 minutes. (Do not skimp on the time for this step. Very important.)

Add eggs and egg yolks one at a time until well incorporated. Scrape the bowl as needed. Add in the vanilla extract and mix until well combined.

In a medium sized bowl whisk the cake flour, baking powder, and salt together.  

With mixer on low speed, alternate adding in flour mixture and sour cream. Do not over mix.

Grease and lightly flour a 12×16-inch (half-sheet) cake pan. Pour the batter evenly into the pan. Shake to help even off the batter.

Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick stuck into the middle of the pan comes out clean. Do not overbake. Check after 25 minutes to be sure. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before frosting.    

Store at room temperature.

Chocolate Malted Milk Buttercream Frosting:

• 1½ c. (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• lg. pinch fine sea salt
• ¾ c. malted milk powder
• ½ c. good unsweetened cocoa powder (I use Valrhona)
• 3 c. powdered sugar  
• 3 T. whipping cream, plus more as needed

Beat the butter, vanilla, and salt together until creamy in the bowl of your stand mixer.

Whisk the malted milk powder, cocoa powder, and powdered sugar together in a bowl.

Gradually add the cocoa mixture to the butter mixture alternating with the heavy cream until the frosting is super smooth and at your desired consistency. Scrap down the sides of the bowl several times during this process.  

Homemade Cake Flour:

For each cup of cake flour you will need:

• 2 T. cornstarch
• 1 scant c. all-purpose flour

Measure out 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and place it in a 1-cup measuring cup.   Gently spoon fluffed up all-purpose flour into the cup over the cornstarch. Don’t pack the flour down in the cup. Use the back of a table knife to level off the cup. 

Sift the mixture 2-3 times to thoroughly combine and aerate the flour. Measure again. (You may have a bit of extra cake flour left. Great! Save it for the next time you need cake flour.) 

So what do you make to take along on a golfing vacation with friends that would be considered a complimentary dessert to go along with “cocktail lab”? Well, I guess before I answer that question, I should explain what constitutes “cocktail lab”. In our case, it meant trying new drinks on each other that contained ingredients that were mostly foreign to the majority of us. Like – Fernet Branca liqueur*, pear liquor, Cynar**, King’s Ginger Liqueur, and muddled cucumber to mention a few.  

Having provided you with that little bit of information, you can now undoubtedly understand why I chose this recipe to share with our friends. (And yes, you can peek at the recipe before continuing with my narrative.)

And should you be wondering, there was actually some golfing that happened along with trying new and interesting adult beverages. Not to mention enjoying some wonderful meals together, both homemade and at restaurants. And in-between the rain showers, we also managed a few walks, hikes, bicycle rides, and a great visit to an antique mall. All and all a most pleasant time with our dear friends Todd and Cindy, Tim and Suzie. Could not have been a better way to spend our time.   

So I hope you enjoy this incredible cake slightly modified from a recipe I found on the Laughing Spatula web site. The cake is easy to prepare, the taste is amazing, the frosting is to die for, and it stays moist and delicious for several days. But beware. It is intensely rich. A small piece goes a long way. But do try it. It’s one of the best chocolate cakes I have ever tasted.

And if you happen to be a jazz lover and live in or near Anacortes, come enjoy the timE3 jazz trio at the Rockfish Grill on Wednesday, June 5^th. And as you sit there enjoying the music, imagine Tim (bass), Todd (drums), and Mr. C. (piano) enjoying time together in Sunriver, Oregon playing golf, eating hotdogs and drinking a beer at the turn, and sharing way too many funny stories along the course. Because that’s exactly what I will be doing too. Watching these three successful, wonderful men enjoying themselves so completely always makes me happy. And of course I get to spend time with their fabulous wives and other great friends while the guys are busy making music. And that too makes me extremely happy. Life just doesn’t get much better. As I have said before, I am one lucky lady! And part of the reason definitely belongs to the many wonderful friends we are so very lucky to have in our lives. Here’s to all of you who by your very being enrich our lives. Cheers!

Cake:

2 eggs

2 c. granulated sugar

1 c. sour cream  

½ c. vegetable oil

2 tsp. vanilla

½ c. water  

½ c. bourbon

2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour

1 c. unsweetened cocoa powder (I use Ghirardelli Majestic Premium Cocoa Powder)

1½ tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. espresso powder (I use Medaglia d’Oro)

½ c. mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Ganache Frosting:

1¼ c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 c. heavy cream

3 T. bourbon

1 tsp. vanilla

pinch salt

Cake Directions:

In large mixing bowl combine egg, sugar, sour cream, vegetable oil, and vanilla until well blended. Add bourbon and water; mix until completely smooth.

Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and espresso powder. Add to the egg mixture. Beat only until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Pour into a lightly buttered 9 x 13-inch baking pan, glass preferred.  

Bake in a pre-heated 325 degree oven for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out almost clean. (When done, the middle part of the cake might still adhere a bit to your toothpick. Not to worry. You just don’t want the rest of the cake to get too done.)

Remove from oven and let cool completely before spreading on the ganache frosting.

Ganache Frosting Directions:

Pour chocolate chips in large microwave save bowl and microwave for one minute until chips are just soft. In another microwave safe bowl or in a pan on your cooktop, heat cream until it just begins to boil.

Pour hot cream over chocolate chips. Let sit for 2 minutes before stirring with whisk until the chocolate mixture is smooth and creamy. Stir in the bourbon, vanilla, and pinch of salt.

Cool in the refrigerator until the consistency is fairly thick, 30-45 minutes. (Can be made ahead and microwaved for 20 seconds or so before spreading on the cooled cake.)

*Fernet is an Italian type of amaro, a bitter, aromatic spirit. Fernet is made from a number of herbs and spices which vary according to the brand, but usually include myrrh, rhubarb, chamomile, cardamom, aloe, and especially saffron, with a base of grape distilled spirits. Amaro is an Italian herbal liqueur that is commonly consumed as an after-dinner digestive. It usually has a bitter-sweet flavor, sometimes syrupy, and has an alcohol content between 16% and 40%.

**Cynar is a bitter liqueur made from various herbs and plants, the most prominent being artichoke.   The bitterness is offset by the citrus from the lemon juice and grapefruit bitters.