2 cups gluten-free flour blend (one cup rice flour, 3/4 cup teff flour, 1/4 cup potato starch)
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp cinnamon (doesn't that sound like a TON of cinnamon? It really wasn't over-powering, though.)
1 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup drained crushed pineapple (the kind without any added sugar)
1/2 cup raisins
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups grated carrots
Preheat the oven to 350. Lightly oil a 9x13 pan and set it aside.
Sift the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices into a bowl. Set it aside.
In a food processor, combine the pineapple, raisins, and 1/4 of the white sugar. Pulse for a little while - you don't want the ingredients pureed, but just sort of mushed together a bit. Set that aside, too.
With an electric mixer, combine the remaining white sugar, the eggs, brown sugar, vegetable oil, applesauce, vanilla and the pineapple-raisin glop. Beat until everything is well combined. Lower the speed and add the flour mixture, then add the carrots and beat just until everything is combined. Spread into the prepared pan.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a butter knife comes out clean. Let cool and frost with a cream cheese icing (I used four ounces of softened cream cheese with 3 tbsp soft butter and 1/2 cup white sugar, well-blended.).
Showing posts with label cake. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cake. Show all posts
Monday, March 24, 2008
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Chocolate Buttermilk Cupcakes
These are so good that it's a bit ridiculous. They are deeeeelicious. I am thinking - yearningly - of the one lone cupcake left in the kitchen, the one intended for my son. Bad mama.
They're also really easy, unlike convincing your son that he should let you eat his last cupcake. If you don't bake much, this is a nice recipe to try. Just read through the recipe first and make sure you have everything you need before you get started.
Preheat your oven to 375.
Line 2 cupcake trays - so 24 cupcakes altogether - with paper cupcake liners.
Get out a big (reasonably big. Don't go crazy looking for a giant vat) bowl and your electric mixer. If you have a stand mixer, you can use that. If you don't have either, you can just stir everything together with a spoon.
Mix together:
1/2 cup softened butter
and
1 1/2 cups sugar.
Add:
2 eggs, one at a time, beating well after each.
Now mix in - in THIS ORDER:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup buttermilk.
Stir it together first so flour doesn't fly everywhere, and then mix it all together. Fill the paper-lined muffin cups until they're 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 15-20 minutes. (you can tell they're cooked when you can stick a toothpick into one of the center cupcakes and it comes out clean, not covered in batter.) Let them cool down and decorate.
They're also really easy, unlike convincing your son that he should let you eat his last cupcake. If you don't bake much, this is a nice recipe to try. Just read through the recipe first and make sure you have everything you need before you get started.
Preheat your oven to 375.
Line 2 cupcake trays - so 24 cupcakes altogether - with paper cupcake liners.
Get out a big (reasonably big. Don't go crazy looking for a giant vat) bowl and your electric mixer. If you have a stand mixer, you can use that. If you don't have either, you can just stir everything together with a spoon.
Mix together:
1/2 cup softened butter
and
1 1/2 cups sugar.
Add:
2 eggs, one at a time, beating well after each.
Now mix in - in THIS ORDER:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup buttermilk.
Stir it together first so flour doesn't fly everywhere, and then mix it all together. Fill the paper-lined muffin cups until they're 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 15-20 minutes. (you can tell they're cooked when you can stick a toothpick into one of the center cupcakes and it comes out clean, not covered in batter.) Let them cool down and decorate.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Cockeyed Cake
This is the easiest cake in the world. Really. And it's vegan, should you care about that. And a responsible child can do the whole thing on her own (or his, whatever), so long as you handle the oven bits. It's also tasty. You CAN frost it - it's certainly nice frosted - although I'm prone to just devouring the whole thing hot straight from the oven.
Get out your square 9" cake pan. Don't grease it.
1 1/2 cups flour
3 tablespoons cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons cooking oil
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup cold water (or cold coffee, if you want a mocha cake)
Mix your flour, soda, sugar, cocoa and salt right in the pan. Make three little wells in the mixture. Into one, pour the oil; into the next, the vinegar; into the next, the vanilla. Now pour the cold water over it all and stir it together - you'll see greyish swoops as the soda and vinegar react! Bake it at 350 for half an hour.
Get out your square 9" cake pan. Don't grease it.
1 1/2 cups flour
3 tablespoons cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons cooking oil
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup cold water (or cold coffee, if you want a mocha cake)
Mix your flour, soda, sugar, cocoa and salt right in the pan. Make three little wells in the mixture. Into one, pour the oil; into the next, the vinegar; into the next, the vanilla. Now pour the cold water over it all and stir it together - you'll see greyish swoops as the soda and vinegar react! Bake it at 350 for half an hour.
Chocolate Zucchini Cake
This is the best cake recipe in the world, probably. My mom used to bring this to potlucks all the time (remember potlucks? Does anyone still have those?) and people would just devour it and then beg for the recipe and then THEY WOULD BRING IT TO THE POTLUCK NEXT WEEK. Isn't that CHEATING?
Anyhow. There IS zucchini in this, but it magically becomes deeelicious!
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
2 cups grated zucchini
1/4 cup chocolate chips (I used milk chocolate and added more than that, since I like chocolate, and like the contrast between the dark chocolate of the cake and the sweet milk chocolate. But you can use whatever you like.)
Cream together butter, oil, sugar, eggs, vanilla and buttermilk. Sift dry ingredients and add to creamed mixture. Mix in zucchini and chocolate chips. Bake in a greased and floured bundt pan or a 9-by-13 greased pan at 325 for 45 minutes.
Anyhow. There IS zucchini in this, but it magically becomes deeelicious!
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
2 cups grated zucchini
1/4 cup chocolate chips (I used milk chocolate and added more than that, since I like chocolate, and like the contrast between the dark chocolate of the cake and the sweet milk chocolate. But you can use whatever you like.)
Cream together butter, oil, sugar, eggs, vanilla and buttermilk. Sift dry ingredients and add to creamed mixture. Mix in zucchini and chocolate chips. Bake in a greased and floured bundt pan or a 9-by-13 greased pan at 325 for 45 minutes.
Chocolate Sour Cream Cake
I'm going to be honest - I don't remember ever making this cake. But apparently I did last year and brought it to something and then EVERY PERSON THERE emailed me for the recipe. You were really good, apparently, forgotten cake!
CAKE:
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 tsp baking soda
pinch salt
2 sticks butter, cut up (that's a cup.)
1 cup water
1/3 cup cocoa
3/4 cup sour cream
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
Frosting:
8 tbl butter, cup up
1/3 cup plus 1 tbl milk
1/4 cup cocoa
abt 4 1/2 cups confectioner sugar
1 tsp vanilla
To make the cake, preheat oven to 350.
Butter and flour a 13x9 inch baking pan.
Combine the flour, sugar, soda and salt.
In a medium saucepan, bring the butter, water and cocoa to boil over high heat, stirring to dissolve the butter. Pour into the flour mixture and whisk well. Add the sour cream, then the eggs and vanilla and beat well. Spread evenly in the pan.
Bake until the cake springs back when pressed in the center, about 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack.
Meanwhile, make the frosting. Bring the butter, milk, and cocoa to boil in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the butter. Gradually stir in the confectioner's sugar, then the vanilla. Pour over the warm cake. Cool the cake in the pan on the rack. Cut into pieces and serve directly from the pan.
CAKE:
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 tsp baking soda
pinch salt
2 sticks butter, cut up (that's a cup.)
1 cup water
1/3 cup cocoa
3/4 cup sour cream
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
Frosting:
8 tbl butter, cup up
1/3 cup plus 1 tbl milk
1/4 cup cocoa
abt 4 1/2 cups confectioner sugar
1 tsp vanilla
To make the cake, preheat oven to 350.
Butter and flour a 13x9 inch baking pan.
Combine the flour, sugar, soda and salt.
In a medium saucepan, bring the butter, water and cocoa to boil over high heat, stirring to dissolve the butter. Pour into the flour mixture and whisk well. Add the sour cream, then the eggs and vanilla and beat well. Spread evenly in the pan.
Bake until the cake springs back when pressed in the center, about 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack.
Meanwhile, make the frosting. Bring the butter, milk, and cocoa to boil in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the butter. Gradually stir in the confectioner's sugar, then the vanilla. Pour over the warm cake. Cool the cake in the pan on the rack. Cut into pieces and serve directly from the pan.
Ginger Cake
A cheap and good gingerbread recipe. I do LOVE gingerbread - it's cheap (did I mention that?) and feels soul-healing on hard days and is the perfect thing to come home to after a cold winter's day.
2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
dash ground cloves
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
2/3 cup molasses
1 egg
1 cup boiling water
Combine flour, soda, salt and spices. Set aside. In a mixing bowl, cream the sugar and butter; beat in the molasses and egg. Stir in the dry ingredients alternately with water; mix well. Pour into a greased 9" square baking pan. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes.
Cool completely. Leftovers will keep several days in an airtight container. Makes 9 servings.
2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
dash ground cloves
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
2/3 cup molasses
1 egg
1 cup boiling water
Combine flour, soda, salt and spices. Set aside. In a mixing bowl, cream the sugar and butter; beat in the molasses and egg. Stir in the dry ingredients alternately with water; mix well. Pour into a greased 9" square baking pan. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes.
Cool completely. Leftovers will keep several days in an airtight container. Makes 9 servings.
Monday, November 5, 2007
Chocolate Surprise Cake
Surprise! There are beets hidden in this cake! And you will actually like it! It's a very surprising cake. It does have an odd but pleasant aftertaste and a HUGE amount of your daily iron, but no one would ever suspect it of containing beets.
1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 can (19 oz) beets, drained and pureed
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup packed brown sugar
¾ cup vegetable oil
¼ butter, softened
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
In a bowl sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. In a bowl with an electric mixer, combine beets, granulated sugar, brown sugar, oil, butter, eggs and vanilla. Beat slowly until blended, then on high for 1 to 2 minutes or until thoroughly mixed. Gradually blend in flour-cocoa mixture.Transfer batter to prepared baking pan and bake for 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack before serving.
1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 can (19 oz) beets, drained and pureed
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup packed brown sugar
¾ cup vegetable oil
¼ butter, softened
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
In a bowl sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. In a bowl with an electric mixer, combine beets, granulated sugar, brown sugar, oil, butter, eggs and vanilla. Beat slowly until blended, then on high for 1 to 2 minutes or until thoroughly mixed. Gradually blend in flour-cocoa mixture.Transfer batter to prepared baking pan and bake for 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack before serving.
Friday, November 2, 2007
Boston Cream Pie
yes, it's a long recipe, but it's not a hard one AND you do it in three steps that can be HOURS apart - one very simple little cake, the ever-so-slightly fussy pastry cream and the final filling of the cake and making the chocolate glaze. Easy!
The recipe that I use is really, really long, so I won't post it, but Boston Cream Pie is an eggy yellow cake (one layer) that's split down the middle and filled with vanilla custard. You then cover the whole deal in chocolate glaze. It's VERY good and is really helping with the whole fat problem I've been having.
Okay, here's the recipe, which comes from my beloved copy of Richard Sax's Classic Home Desserts:
I make the base from a single layer of hot water spongecake. I LOVE single-layer recipes for cakes - it makes a nice amount of cake for Sunday night supper (sprinkled with icing sugar and served with berries, perhaps), and this recipe is nicely frugal (it's made from nearly nothing) and easy.
Preheat your oven to 350. Grease the bottom of a round 9" cake pan.
Sift together:
1 cup of all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt, or even slightly less.
And set them aside for now.
In a bowl with an electric mixer, beat:
2 eggs
until they're light.
Add 1 cup sugar
Beat until light, fluffy and lemony yellow.
Beat in 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.
Fold the flour mixture into the egg mixture. Pour VERY GENTLY
1/3 cup of boiling water
down the side of the bowl and fold in gently, deflating the batter as little as possible. Quickly but gently pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. "Swirl the pan to smooth the top without deflating the batter" my recipe says, and good luck with that.
Bake until the top is golden and springs back lightly when touched, about 30-35 minutes. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. COOL THE CAKE COMPLETELY on the wire rack before doing anything with it, because it will fall apart if it's still warm.
It's an easy little cake, honest.
Okay, so onto the vanilla pastry cream.
Get a heavy saucepan and rinse it with cold water. Bring to a boil over medium heat:
3/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon sugar.
Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk together:
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup sugar
pinch salt
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 large egg yolks
and mix for 1 1/2 minutes or until everything is pale and light and the cornstarch isn't lumpy.
Remove the saucepan from theat heat and whisk some of the hot milk into the egg mixture. (you're doing that so you don't end up with scrambled eggs in milk) Scrape the warmed egg yolk mixture into the saucepan and return to medium heat. Bring to a boil, whisking CONSTANTLY. Boil for one minute and do NOT STOP WHISKING. This sounds really dire, but I find it meditative and almost zen-like, really. It's going to thicken astoundingly at the end of that minute, and you're going to remove it from the heat and whisk in
2 teaspoons cold unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pour the pastry cream into a clean bowl (and my recipe says to strain it, but for the record I have never done that and it's been fine). Press some waxed paper directly on the top to keep a skin from forming and cool it in the fridge for two hours.
You're done the hard part!
So. Now you have a cool cake and cool pastry cream. Carefully brush off the excess crumbs from your cake, and split it in half with a serrated knife. (horizontally. Do I need to say that?) Place the bottom layer of your cake on your loveliest cake plate and spread the pastry cream evenly over the cake, reaching nearly to the edges. Replace the top cake layer and press gently into place.
All you have to do now is to make a chocolate glaze and chocolate glazes are the easiest things in the world. Melt together over low heat:
3 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces
(and my recipe also calls for 1 1/2 tablespoons light corn syrup but I ALWAYS skip that. You can add it if you like.)
Remove from the heat and set aside to cool and thicken until you can spread it. Or you can do what I do and pour it over the cake right away and eat it while it's molten. Either way, let the glaze set for 10 minutes or so on your cake, and save any leftovers in the fridge.
Okay, here's the recipe, which comes from my beloved copy of Richard Sax's Classic Home Desserts:
I make the base from a single layer of hot water spongecake. I LOVE single-layer recipes for cakes - it makes a nice amount of cake for Sunday night supper (sprinkled with icing sugar and served with berries, perhaps), and this recipe is nicely frugal (it's made from nearly nothing) and easy.
Preheat your oven to 350. Grease the bottom of a round 9" cake pan.
Sift together:
1 cup of all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt, or even slightly less.
And set them aside for now.
In a bowl with an electric mixer, beat:
2 eggs
until they're light.
Add 1 cup sugar
Beat until light, fluffy and lemony yellow.
Beat in 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.
Fold the flour mixture into the egg mixture. Pour VERY GENTLY
1/3 cup of boiling water
down the side of the bowl and fold in gently, deflating the batter as little as possible. Quickly but gently pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. "Swirl the pan to smooth the top without deflating the batter" my recipe says, and good luck with that.
Bake until the top is golden and springs back lightly when touched, about 30-35 minutes. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. COOL THE CAKE COMPLETELY on the wire rack before doing anything with it, because it will fall apart if it's still warm.
It's an easy little cake, honest.
Okay, so onto the vanilla pastry cream.
Get a heavy saucepan and rinse it with cold water. Bring to a boil over medium heat:
3/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon sugar.
Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk together:
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup sugar
pinch salt
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 large egg yolks
and mix for 1 1/2 minutes or until everything is pale and light and the cornstarch isn't lumpy.
Remove the saucepan from theat heat and whisk some of the hot milk into the egg mixture. (you're doing that so you don't end up with scrambled eggs in milk) Scrape the warmed egg yolk mixture into the saucepan and return to medium heat. Bring to a boil, whisking CONSTANTLY. Boil for one minute and do NOT STOP WHISKING. This sounds really dire, but I find it meditative and almost zen-like, really. It's going to thicken astoundingly at the end of that minute, and you're going to remove it from the heat and whisk in
2 teaspoons cold unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pour the pastry cream into a clean bowl (and my recipe says to strain it, but for the record I have never done that and it's been fine). Press some waxed paper directly on the top to keep a skin from forming and cool it in the fridge for two hours.
You're done the hard part!
So. Now you have a cool cake and cool pastry cream. Carefully brush off the excess crumbs from your cake, and split it in half with a serrated knife. (horizontally. Do I need to say that?) Place the bottom layer of your cake on your loveliest cake plate and spread the pastry cream evenly over the cake, reaching nearly to the edges. Replace the top cake layer and press gently into place.
All you have to do now is to make a chocolate glaze and chocolate glazes are the easiest things in the world. Melt together over low heat:
3 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces
(and my recipe also calls for 1 1/2 tablespoons light corn syrup but I ALWAYS skip that. You can add it if you like.)
Remove from the heat and set aside to cool and thicken until you can spread it. Or you can do what I do and pour it over the cake right away and eat it while it's molten. Either way, let the glaze set for 10 minutes or so on your cake, and save any leftovers in the fridge.
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