Category Archives: CAKES – see PATTI CAKES

YELLOW SOUR CREAM CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE MALTED MILK BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

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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.) 

GINGER CAKE WITH BOURBON CARAMEL SAUCE AND BOURBON WHIPPED CREAM

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Sometimes I get nostalgic for no better reason than beautifully colored deciduous leaves in the fall. And every fall as the leaves start to turn color, I immediately want to hunker down in my kitchen and make soup. Or in the case of this past weekend, I wanted to re-create a classic fall and winter dessert I enjoyed as a child and made for my children when they were young. But I didn’t want the gingerbread of my youth, and not even the one I fed to my children. I wanted a modern take on this old standard that would appeal to more sophisticated palates.  

What I envisioned was a gingerbread that had the consistency and moistness I associate with a truly delicious cake. Plus I wanted to make my ginger cake include a background flavor that set it apart from others. And I think I found that special something. It’s called bourbon.

And yes I know, I use bourbon in a lot in my recipes. Bourbon just pairs so well with all kinds of dishes. But what it did for this dessert was beyond compare.

I used the basic recipe for gingerbread from one of my favorite bloggers – Jenn Segal (Once Upon a Chef). She is truly one of my favorites. Please visit her site, because she is the real deal!

I did however make one small change. I substituted a wee bit of bourbon for some of the boiling water in her recipe. (I just had to do it.) Then I went completely bourbon crazy, and created a bourbon caramel sauce, then went further off the deep end (it’s called gilding the lily) by adding a bit of bourbon to the whipped cream topping.

Now something you should know. There isn’t enough money to get me to drink bourbon straight. I don’t like the taste of any whiskey, so why would I want to sip on something that makes me scrunch up my face? (Mother Nature is already having her way with my face. I don’t need any more help in that arena thank you very much!) But, as a subtle (or in some cases not-so-subtle) background flavor, bourbon is a perfect ingredient. For many, the flavor of bourbon hints of vanilla, caramel, honey, butterscotch, apple, pear, figs, raisins, dates, nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon. So when you analyze the flavors associated with bourbon, really what’s not to like? (I still can’t get straight bourbon past my lips!) But what bourbon does for ginger cake is nothing short of miraculous.

So if you too haven’t enjoyed or even thought about gingerbread for years, now is the time. And as a dessert to serve for either Thanksgiving or Christmas, I think it would be absolutely perfect.

To find other recipes on this site that use bourbon as an ingredient, just type “bourbon” in the search box – hit search, and a new world of boozy recipes will appear on the screen. Some of the recipes are even for delicious adult beverages. Imagine that!

1½ c. unbleached all-purpose flour  

1 tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

2 tsp. ground ginger

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

¼ tsp. ground cloves

4 T. unsalted butter, melted

2/3 c. packed brown sugar

2/3 c. molasses (not Robust or Blackstrap)

2/3 c. boiling water minus 4 tsp. (I’ve replaced 4 tsp. of boiling water with bourbon)

4 tsp. bourbon

1 lg. egg, beaten

chopped candied ginger, opt. garnish

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar, molasses, and boiling water. When the mixture is room temperature, whisk in the bourbon and the egg. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk until no lumps remain.

Pour the batter into a lightly greased and floured 9-inch square pan (glass preferably). Bake in a pre-heated 325 degree oven (or 350 degree oven if using a metal pan) for about 25 minutes, or until the edges look dark and the middle feels firm to the touch.

Remove from oven and allow to cool on a wire rack. Or allow to cool slightly, then cut into squares and serve with a bit of warm Bourbon Caramel Sauce, dolloped with Bourbon Whipped Cream, and garnished with a tiny bit of chopped candied ginger. Ginger cake is wonderful served at room temperature, warm out of the oven, or reheated.

The cake can be baked up to 3 days ahead. Cover and store at room temperature. If you prefer, warm before serving.  

To warm cake: Cover the pan with aluminum foil and place in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 10 minutes.

BOURBON CARAMEL SAUCE

1 c. packed brown sugar

½ c. (1 stick) unsalted butter

pinch sea salt

½ c. heavy cream

¼ c. bourbon

Whisk butter, brown sugar, and salt together over medium heat in a small heavy saucepan until brown sugar has dissolved completely. (This happens after the mixture comes to a boil and is allowed to burble for a couple of minutes or until it turns kind of shiny. Continue whisking the whole time the mixture is on the heat.) Remove from heat and gently whisk in the heavy cream and bourbon. Serve warm over this ginger cake, bread pudding, ice cream, or any old thing you want! (Great in coffee too!)

Can be made ahead and refrigerated. Best to warm slightly before serving.

BOURBAN WHIPPED CREAM

2 c. heavy cream

¼ c. powdered sugar

2 T. bourbon

1 tsp. vanilla

Beat cream until stiff peaks form. Beat in the powdered sugar, bourbon, and vanilla until well blended. Cover. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

CHOCOLATE BOURBON CAKE

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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 5th. 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.

   

HOLIDAY FRUITCAKE

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Now, there are two kinds of people when it comes to fruitcake. Those who love it, and those who have never had good fruitcake. And I was definitely in the second camp until I tasted the real thing. Oh don’t get me wrong. I grew up having fruitcake at Christmas, but it was truly terrible. But God bless my maternal grandmother, she tried her best to make it special. The main problem with her fruitcake was the lack of booze, an assortment of dried and candied fruits, spices, and nuts. What it did contain was an abundance of raisins, most of which were burned. And if you have ever tasted a burned raisin, you will know that it is not a pleasant experience.

So you can imagine my horror when as a 21 year old college student, I was given a fruitcake from a new neighbor in student housing. Little did I know at that time that my new neighbor was a home economics teacher. (She and her husband were also living in student housing while her husband was working on his masters and money was tight for them too.) Anyway, I was now the proud owner of this small loaf nicely wrapped in tin foil. Of course I said thank-you, while thinking to myself – what in the heck do I do with this “thing”!?!? Well, I took a chance and served it that evening for dessert. That was the beginning of my love affair with fruitcakes, and not coincidentally, the beginning of a very lovely friendship.

Over the next year or so, I learned a lot from this charming and talented woman. Not the least of which, a love for cooking and entertaining. She came into my life at the perfect time. We had very little money (both my former husband and I were in school), but I learned from her that soups and casseroles could feed us very well for several days and that they didn’t cost an arm and a leg to prepare. In fact, almost anything I could build myself was sure to save us money. I also learned that sharing food with others was about as good a way as any to show people how much they were valued. Her simple gift of a small fruitcake and her subsequent friendship helped me become a more caring and productive human being, not to mention a better cook.

So do I like fruitcake? You bet I do! For another great fruitcake recipe on this site, look up my Caribbean Black Fruitcake recipe.

1 lb. dried fruit combination (peaches, pears, apricots, apples, golden raisins, currents, etc.)

½ lb. dried Bing cherries

1 lb. chopped dates

1 lb. candied/glazed pineapple, coarsely chopped

21-oz. container red candied/glazed cherries, coarsely chopped

3 c. spiced rum

1 c. unsalted butter, room temperature

2 c. brown sugar

2 tsp. cinnamon

1½ tsp. ground allspice

1½ tsp. ground nutmeg

5 lg. eggs

2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

1 lb. coarsely chopped pecans

Combine dried fruit, dried Bing cherries, chopped dates, candied pineapple, candied cherries, and rum in a covered glass container for 3 to 7 days. 7 days is best.

Cream butter, sugar, and spices until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time. In a separate bowl whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together. Stir into butter mixture just until combined.    Stir in the macerated fruit, including any remaining liquid, and the pecans. 

Place a large shallow pan of water on the bottom rack of your oven to prevent the cakes from baking too dry. Pre-heat the oven to 275 degrees.

Line 3 (9×5-inch) loaf pans or 1 (9×5-inch) and 5 (7×4-inch) loaf pans with parchment paper and grease paper lightly. Divide the batter evenly between the pans and bake in the middle of the oven for 2-2½ hours or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Remove from oven and cool on racks for one hour. Remove cakes from pans, and carefully peel off the parchment paper. When completely cool, wrap in plastic wrap and foil. Store for at least 1 month before serving.

SOUTHERN CARAMEL CAKE

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OK, in complete honesty, I have never baked this cake. But, my dear friend Vicki has made this recipe twice, and I have had the pleasure of tasting a piece both times. (OK, more than one piece the second time she baked this cake for a JazzVox concert.) So, I am here to tell you that this is one of the best cakes I have ever tasted. And that’s saying something, because I love me a great big old piece of truly great cake!

The recipe comes from Jocelyn Delk Adams on her Grandbaby Cakes web site. (Fabulous site BTW.) And in my estimation, it could not possibly taste any better than it does! Not possible. Really!

The cake part is moist, flavorful, slightly dense, and not too sweet. In other words, it’s just what I have been looking for! Because, if you are like me, and have tried many, many recipes for yellow cake over the years in hopes of finding just that perfect one, this is your lucky day. Not only is the flavor perfect, the crumb is everything I believe a truly great yellow cake should possess. (And yes, I’m picky. I can’t help it!) And then there’s the icing. Oh caramel icing lovers rejoice. This is the real thing! Amazing!

Now a bit of information you should know before you go rushing off to your kitchen. The cake part is easy, the caramel icing, not as much. You don’t have to stir the icing the whole time its cooking (1½ – 2 hours), but you do need to pay attention to it. And it can burn, even if your dedication is exemplary. It can just happen. But don’t let me scare you off. I just wanted to provide you with full disclosure so you won’t hate me if 100% perfection is not achieved.

But next time you need a dessert for a special birthday, or just to let someone know how much you love them, bake them this cake. And let me know how it turns out. I love to receive comments. Thank you again Ms. Adams. I think you are a national treasure!

Cake:

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

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 flour three 9-inch round cake pans or a 12×16-inch (half-sheet) pan. Pour the batter evenly into the pans or pan. Shake to help even off the batter.

Bake 9-inch round pans in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 23-30 minutes or until a toothpick stuck into the middle of the pan comes out clean. Do not overbake. Check after 23 minutes to be sure. Bake a 12×16-inch pan for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick stuck into the middle of the pan comes out clean. Again, do not over bake.   

If you are making a layer cake, 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. If you are baking a large single layer cake, just remove cake from oven and allow to cool completely on a rack. 

For a layer cake, place one of the cakes upside down on your cake plate. (Best if you have a domed cover for your cake plate, because plastic wrap is just not going to work!) Spread icing over layer. (Not too much.) Place the second layer over the icing, and add icing. Again not too much. Add the top layer and frost the top and sides of the entire cake. (Don’t worry if the icing puddles at the base of the cake and onto the cake plate. That’s the plan!

Please note: if your cakes are rounded at the top, slice off a bit of the cake to make top flat before frosting. If the cake layers start sliding around, stick a couple of long picks through the layers to keep the cake together. Store at room temperature.

To frost a large single layer cake, just pour on the icing and smooth out as much as possible. Store at room temperature.

Caramel Icing:

¾ c. (1½ sticks) unsalted butter 

2 (12-oz.) cans evaporated milk

tiny pinch of salt

2 c. granulated sugar

2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Place butter, evaporated milk, salt, and sugar in a fairly large, heavy, stainless steel saucepan over medium heat. Whisk until melted together.

Leave over medium to low heat stirring periodically for about 1½ to 2 hours. Watch the entire time to make sure the contents don’t burn until the mixture is thickened and the caramel has darkened to a beautiful golden brown. Just don’t be afraid to cook it long enough. You need to make sure the caramel turns golden before stopping the heat. It should also thickly coat the back of a spoon. You may find yourself adjusting the heat in order to not let it burn. When the color and the thickness are perfect, remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract.

Cool for about 30 minutes to allow it to thicken properly before icing the cake.

SPICED AND SPIKED CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

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As you well know, I love to mess with already perfectly wonderful recipes just for the heck of it. And one of my favorite things to do is experiment with adding liquor or liqueur to dessert items such as cake batter, pie filling, frosting, glaze, whipped cream, etc. etc.

So while contemplating how to kick my cream cheese frosting recipe for Apple Cake (on this site) up a notch, I decided to add some cinnamon, because there’s cinnamon in the cake batter, and some Calvados (apple flavored brandy) because there are apples in the batter. (I’ve always excelled at stating the obvious!)

Anyway, that’s exactly what I did when I prepared the frosting for the apple cake I made for last weekend’s JazzVox pre-concert meal. And our guests told me they thought the frosting was pretty darn OK.

Note: When I use alcohol in a dessert, I usually cut down on the amount of vanilla. (If vanilla is called for, that is!)

So next time you make a cake, try enhancing the flavor of the batter and/or the frosting  with a bit of spice and/or a wee dram of something from the adult beverage category. And please don’t worry about the alcohol content. Adding a tiny bit of liquor or liqueur to your frosting recipe is about the same as adding pure vanilla extract. Pure vanilla extract legally has to contain at least 35% alcohol, which is basically the same proof as vodka or rum. So don’t fret about adding alcohol to your favorite frosting even if your children are going to be the primary consumers. You have undoubtedly been “spiking” their frosting since the first time they smeared it all over their face, your clothes, and the tray of their high chair! Have a great day.

  • ½ c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 (8-oz.) pkg. cream cheese, room temperature
  • pinch salt
  • 2 T. brown sugar
  • ¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
  • ½ tsp. vanilla
  • 1½ T. liqueur – Calvados, brandy, bourbon, spiced rum, etc. (whatever flavor goes best with the ingredients in your baked goodie)
  • 1 lb. powdered sugar, more or less

Beat the butter, cream cheese, salt, and brown sugar together until creamy. Mix in the cinnamon, vanilla, and liqueur. Add powdered sugar until you reach your desired consistency.

FYI: For more information about pure vanilla extract, read the January 21, 2015 article entitled Why Don’t You buy Vanilla Extract in a Liquor Store by Michael Y. Park (via Bon Appétit magazine). It’s a really well written, informative, and scary article!

 

 

CHOCOLATE OLIVE OIL CUPCAKES WITH CREAMY CHOCOLATE FROSTING

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So here’s how it all started. My dear friend Vicki gifted me with a bottle of chocolate olive oil. And since I have never been impressed with flavored olive oil, I was naturally suspicious. Especially since it was chocolate and olive oil mixed together. Obviously too foreign a concept to resonate clearly in my brain! So therefore the bottle sat in my pantry for a good couple of years. It may have been hidden, but I never forgot that it was in there.

So one day last week I remembered the poor lonely bottle being ignored in my pantry and sought out recipes for this frankly intimidating ingredient. And oh my! I found this recipe on the Queen Creek Olive Mill site, but added espresso powder and used my own frosting recipe.

Well I’m here to tell you, this recipe makes possibly the best chocolate cupcakes I have ever had the pleasure of putting in my mouth. They turned out super moist, super chocolaty, and absolutely delightful. So much so, that I have spent about 6 hours now looking at other recipes that contain chocolate olive oil, because I know that olive oil is a lot healthier for me than either butter or vegetable oil. Actually I’m looking at sweet recipes that use regular olive oil too. (And yes, you can make this recipe with regular olive oil, as long as it isn’t too herby or bitter.)  

And why the espresso powder in both the cake and frosting recipes you might ask. Well, it’s because coffee is a great way to enhance the flavor of cocoa powder, resulting in a chocolatier flavor. And even if you don’t like the flavor of coffee, you poor deprived person, you won’t notice the coffee flavor. So not to worry.

So next time you want to make cupcakes that will knock the socks off whomever you are gracing with your baked goods, mix up a batch of these little darlings. They truly are out of this world. Thanks again Vicki for your fun gift. Actually, I found a recipe for preparing homemade chocolate olive oil. If it tastes as wonderful as it appears, I will be sharing the recipe with you in the near future. That and a couple of other homemade recipes for fabulous products introduced to me by my sister-in-law Katie – preserved lemons and black garlic. Thanks again Katie.

(And yes I know you can buy preserved lemons and black garlic in upscale markets or over the internet, so I will be posting recipes that include these 2 fantastic taste treats in the next couple of weeks. But because I’m cheap frugal, I’m going to show you how to make them at home too. That is, after I learn how first. Stand by!)

  • 1¾ c. unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 2 c. sugar
  • ¾ c. cocoa powder (I use Ghirardelli Majestic Premium Cocoa Powder from Cash & Carry)
  • 1½ tsp. baking powder
  • 1½ tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • ½ tsp. instant espresso coffee (I use Medaglia D’oro)
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tsp. vanilla
  • ½ c. chocolate olive oil or “light” regular olive oil
  • 1 c. whole milk
  • 1 c. boiling water

Using a regular whisk, mix the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and espresso together in the bowl of your mixer. (You can also pour the ingredients into the mixer bowl through a fine mesh strainer.) You just want to eliminate any possible lumps.

Using the beater, add in the eggs, vanilla, and chocolate flavored olive oil. Add the milk and beat to blend. Add the boiling water. Continue to beat at low speed until well blended.

Pour the thin batter into cupcake paper lined cupcake pans and bake in a preheated 325 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Cupcakes are done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Cool in pan for 10 minutes then remove to wire rack to finish cooling. Top with frosting.

Hint: Because the batter is so thin, I pour it into a glass measuring cup to fill the cupcake papers ¾ full. Don’t fill them any higher because the batter is going to expand a great deal. Should make 24 cupcakes.

Creamy Chocolate Frosting:

  • 3 c. powdered sugar, or more as needed
  • 7 T. unsweetened cocoa powder
  • ½ tsp. instant espresso coffee
  • 1/8 tsp. salt
  • 6 T. unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 5 T. half & half or heavy cream, or more as needed

In a medium bowl, sift the confectioners’ sugar, cocoa, instant espresso powder, and salt or press through a fine mesh strainer; set aside. (You just want to break up any lumps.)

In a large bowl, beat butter and vanilla together until smooth and creamy. Gradually beat in sugar mixture alternately with half & half. Beat until very light and fluffy. If necessary, adjust consistency with more half & half or powdered sugar.

 

 

 

CREAM CHEESE POUND CAKE WITH VANILLA ICE CREAM AND STRAWBERRY RHUBARB ORANGE SAUCE

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Sometimes inspiration comes from just looking out a window.

While I was dusting the window sill in my guest bedroom a few weeks ago, I looked down on a half wine barrel filled with dirt and rhubarb leaves. Couldn’t see the rhubarb stalks yet, but just the greenery alone was promise enough that better things were about to happen – like SPRING AND SUMMER! And rhubarb stalks. And strawberries. And picnics. And, and, and…..well the list just goes on and on!

And if ever there was a combination that positively smacked of summer being just around the corner, it’s rhubarb, and shortly thereafter – strawberries. So I decided to feature that mighty duo for our next pre-concert (JazzVox) dessert.

I already had the perfect pound cake recipe (Monica Parcell via Bon Appétit magazine) so that part was easy. But I knew that the sauce had to be special since it was featuring two of the crowning glories of the edible plant kingdom. But I wanted a new twist on a strawberry-rhubarb sauce.

Now everyone who knows me is aware of my passion for adding liqueur to my desserts. Not more than a wee dram of liqueur mind you (unless you forget about my Christmas fruitcake recipes), but just enough to add a depth of flavor that would be missed if it weren’t there!

So in doing research on rhubarb and strawberry sauces, I found a lot of recipes that contained a bit of lemon. Ah – citrus! That sounded good, but it wasn’t quite what I had in mind. Then I stumbled onto a couple of recipes that referenced orange juice or Cointreau in the sauce. Now you’re talkin’! So I decided instead of using a small amount of straight water to make the sauce, I would use some powerful orange juice. Then just to add that little “something”, I threw in some vanilla and Cointreau at the end. (I wanted to remind the strawberries and rhubarb how beloved they were to this cook.)  And the result: pretty darn palatable.

So if you want a dessert for a crowd that can be prepared well ahead of time, search no further. Both the cake and the sauce only improve with a little bit of age. The ice cream, well, I wouldn’t say it improves with time, but it doesn’t seem to suffer much either from a short stay in a sub-zero environment. BTW – I love ice cream.

Things I’ve learned from ice cream. 1) Stay out of direct sunlight 2) Don’t be scared of getting cold or being in the dark 3) Hang out with nuts 4) Go bananas once in a while 5) Stay true to yourself, even when surrounded by enjoyable distractions.

  • 1 c. un-salted butter, room temperature
  • 8-oz. cream cheese, room temperature
  • 3 c. sugar
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 6 lg. eggs, room temperature
  • 4 tsp. vanilla
  • 3 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
  • good quality vanilla ice cream
  • Strawberry Rhubarb Orange Sauce (see recipe below)

Cream butter and cream cheese together in a large mixing bowl. Add sugar and salt and whip until mixtures is light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time. Beat in vanilla. Add flour at low speed until well incorporated, but do not overbeat. Transfer batter to a lightly buttered glass 10×16-inch baking dish. (I use my glass Pyrex pan.) Level the top with an offset spatula.

Place the dish in a cold oven. Set the temperature to 200 degrees; bake for 20 minutes. Increase the temperature to 250 degrees; bake for 20 minutes. Increase temperature to 275; bake for 10 minutes. Increase temperature to 300 degrees and bake for about 20-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the middle of the cake comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool on a rack. Can be made 2-3 days ahead of time.

To store, cover the top of the baking dish with plastic wrap and keep at room temperature. Do not refrigerate.  

When ready to serve, cut the cake into desired size pieces. Plate with a scoop (or two) of ice cream on the side dolloped with some of the sauce.   

STRAWBERRY RHUBARB ORANGE SAUCE

  • ¾-1 c. granulated sugar (depends on how sweet you like your sauce)
  • 2 T. orange juice concentrate
  • scant ½ c. water
  • 5 tsp. cornstarch
  • 3 c. diced rhubarb
  • 3 c. chopped fresh strawberries
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 1 T. Cointreau (or any other orange flavored liqueur)

Combine sugar, orange concentrate, water, and cornstarch in a large sauce pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Add the rhubarb; reduce heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the rhubarb is tender, 5 to 8 minutes. Add the strawberries, cook for 30 seconds and remove from heat. Stir in the vanilla and Cointreau.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

 

 

 

 

CSERESZNYÉS LEPÉNY (HUNGARIAN SOUR CHERRY CAKE)

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When researching what dessert to serve with a Hungarian themed meal for our JazzVox guests this past weekend, I stumbled on this recipe from Saveur magazine. Hungarian Sour Cherry Cake. It seemed, from all my reading on the subject of favorite Hungarian foods, that cherries were universally loved. Almost to the point of being part of the genetic makeup of the Hungarian people. Who knew? So why look any further? Then I saw a picture of the “cake” and I wasn’t terribly impressed.

Definitely not a thing of beauty. And flat. It looked much more like a bar cookie than a cake. But who was I to question a dessert that was absolutely adored by the population of an entire nation! So I decided to serve the cake in spite of its lack of visual appeal. And boy am I glad I did! After tasting the cake, I knew why the cake so richly deserved to be cherished. It’s wonderful. Not too sweet, full of cherries, (who doesn’t love cherries) and featuring whole-wheat flour which lends a unique texture and earthy taste to the cake. My friend Vicki suggested that using whole-wheat pastry flour would result in the same desired flavor, but with a more refined texture. So I plan to use whole-wheat pastry flour the next time I bake this simple to prepare dessert. (See which I prefer!) So then how to serve the cake?

Well I have long believed that sweetened whipped cream is the answer to the age old question of how to garnish any dessert. So I whipped up some heavy cream, added a couple tablespoons of powdered sugar, and a few teaspoons of syrup from a jar of specialty cherries* that Mr. C. uses in his Manhattans. Then when it was time to serve dessert, I dolloped each individually plated piece of cake with the concoction. Added much appeal to the presentation and tasted absolutely perfect with the cake. 

So if you need a simple dessert that serves 10-12 people, this is the dessert for you. Just don’t forget to make the whipped cream. Left over whipped cream? Add a dollop to your coffee the next morning. Ain’t nothin’ finer!

(BTW, for Mr. Cs recipe for a perfect Manhattan, enter “Manhattan” in the search box on this site.)

  • 2 cubes (16 T.) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for greasing the baking pan
  • 1½ c. granulated sugar
  • 3 T. kirschwasser**
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract 
  • 1 egg, room temp.
  • 2¼ c. regular whole-wheat flour or whole-wheat pastry flour
  • 1 T. baking powder
  • ¾ tsp. kosher salt
  • 1 c. milk (preferably whole milk)
  • 2 lb. pitted frozen sour cherries, thawed and “drained” on paper towels
  • ¼ c. all-purpose flour

In the large bowl of your mixer, beat the butter, sugar, kirschwasser, and vanilla together until pale and fluffy. Add egg; beat until incorporated.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the whole wheat flour, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer running on low speed, alternately add flour mixture and milk in 3 batches to make a thick batter. Spoon batter onto a buttered 13″ x 18″ x 1″ (half sheet) baking sheet and smooth out with an offset spatula. Toss cherries with the ¼ cup flour. Set cherries evenly over the top.

Bake in a pre-heated 375 degree oven until cake is golden brown and feels set to the touch, 30-35 minutes. Remove from oven and cool at least 30 minutes before serving.

Great topped with whipped cream that has been sweetened with powdered sugar and vanilla, a wee bit of kirschwasser, or my favorite – the syrup from a jar of really good cherries*.  

*I use the syrup from either Luxardo Maraschino Cherries or Culinary Circle Amarena Cherries. Both are Italian products.

**According to Wikipedia – “Kirschwasser (German for “cherry water”) or simply kirsch, is a clear, colorless fruit brandy traditionally made from double distillation of Morello cherries, a dark-colored cultivar of the sour cherry. However, it is now also made from other kinds of cherries. The cherries are fermented completely, including their stones. Unlike cherry liqueurs and cherry brandies, kirschwasser is not sweet. The best kirschwassers have a refined taste with subtle flavors of cherry and a slight bitter-almond taste that derives from the cherry seeds.”

 

CHOCOLATE SHEET CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT TOPPING

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When you are expecting a large number of guests, there is no simpler dessert to prepare than a sheet cake. And contrary to popular belief, cake can be really, really delicious. I found the cake part of this recipe on the Taste of Home site a few years ago. I first served it as Mocha Chocolate Cake with Sour Cream Frosting. (On this site) And it has become my number one favorite chocolate cake. And every time I make it, it always meets with rave reviews. The cake is so moist, tender, and delicious, that frosting or topping probably wouldn’t be necessary. But because I enjoy gilding a lily, I always frost or top the cake with a little “something”.

This time I decided to top the cake with a chocolate hazelnut concoction. (It was going to be dessert for an Italian themed meal, so of course chocolate hazelnut anything would have been perfect!)  I found the recipe on the Cookies and Cups website. It was actually a cake filling recipe, but it looked so wonderful, that I had to give it a try. Of course I messed with it by adding Frangelico, but then, how could a splash of Frangelico hurt?

In my mind I thought I was creating a frosting, but as sometimes happens, things don’t always work out exactly as planned. I felt the “frosting” was too soft to set properly. So I decided that serving pieces of cake with a generous dollop of this amazingly flavorful “topping”, then garnishing each serving with chopped hazelnuts, was the way to go. And not only did it end up tasting wonderful, the presentation was lovely.

For me, the most delightful thing about cooking is the experimental process. And there are so many wonderful internet cooking sites to help me achieve my goals. Anything I need, or any subject of interest is right at my fingertips. So special thanks to the wonderful cooks who share their recipes with the world. They make me a better cook and I totally appreciate every single one of them.

  • 1 c. unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 3 c. packed brown sugar
  • 4 eggs, room temperature
  • 4 tsp. vanilla extract, divided
  • 3 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
  • ¾ c. cocoa powder
  • 1 T. baking soda
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • 1½ c. room temperature coffee or 1½ c. water and 1 rounded tsp. instant espresso powder
  • 1-1/3 c. sour cream
  • 8 oz. heavy whipping cream
  • 8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
  • ¾ c. chocolate hazelnut spread (I use Nutella)
  • 2 c. powdered sugar, or more as needed
  • 2 T. Frangelico (hazelnut liqueur)
  • chopped toasted hazelnuts, garnish

Cream the butter and brown sugar together. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in 3 teaspoons of the vanilla. Whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with coffee and sour cream, beating well after each addition.

Pour into a greased and floured 9×13-inch glass pan and an 8×8-inch square or round pan or three 9-inch greased and floured baking pans. Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 25-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Don’t over-bake! Remove from oven and place pans on wire racks to cool completely. When cool, cover with plastic wrap.  

In the bowl of your stand mixer, fitted with whisk attachment, beat the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Transfer to another bowl and refrigerate until ready to use.

In the same mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and chocolate hazelnut spread until smooth. Add the powdered sugar, remaining 1 teaspoon of vanilla, and the Frangelico; beat until smooth and all the ingredients are incorporated. Fold in the reserved whipped cream. Refrigerate until ready to serve generously dolloped onto cut pieces of cake. Garnish with chopped toasted hazelnut pieces.

(Thanks Brian and Bonnie for letting me know that my preparation instructions were incomplete before this revision. I must admit however, that I liked Brian’s idea that perhaps the Frangelico was just meant as a small treat for the baker, rather than an ingredient in the topping. But then, while you have the bottle out anyway, a wee dram for the baker could always become a part of the entire culinary experience. Just sayin’…….)