Breads & Cakes

It’s coming on Halloween, and we all know what that means: ill-fitting outfits and candy hustling.  Also, more romantically, monster mashing and pumpkin carving, costume making and apple bobbing.  I prefer the latter, though candy hustling is something I think I could get into.

Halloween!  I find myself oddly excited about this holiday.  I think it’s because, since I’m well out of college, I don’t have to worry about finding a slutty costume to wear or avoiding that sickly orange frat house jungle juice.  This year I can just focus on watching spooky movies (like Hocus Pocus and Practical Magic, of course), and making creepy-crawly-themed baked goods.  Getting older is fantastic.

Are you ready for Halloween?  Do you have your costume picked out?  Your snack-sized Snickers bars stocked?  Do you have a spider-webbish pumpkin cake made and ready for spooking?  I mean, snacking?

I do.

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I’ve found a quiet spot in this churning, babbling city; it’s called the Poets House, and it’s only two blocks from mine.  There are windows here, big ones that look down onto the green park below, and wooden floors and cushy seats and rows and rows of books.  They make the whole place smell like what I imagine parchment must smell like.  I can bring small slices of cinnamon cake and paper cups of tea inside, and sit by the windows and the rows of books, nibbling cake and burning my tongue with tea, trying to think of what to write.  I like it here.

Today I paraded down a row of poetry books and stumbled upon a section entitled “Cooking.”  I spent the better part of an hour reading from this section — I bet you didn’t know how many bizarre poems about food there are in the world.  Lots.  Poems about peas (I eat my peas with honey,/I’ve done it all my life,/They do taste kind of funny,/But it keeps them on the knife.  – Anonymous) or pies or ketchup, songs against broccoli, odes to Irish stew… I think next time I’ll stick with Robert Frost.

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Ch-ch-changes!

Seems to be lots of them around here.  New site.  New apartment.  I got my haircut yesterday.  Tomorrow, I start a new job.  A new job!  Sort of.  It’s an internship.  But haven’t you heard?  Internships (especially ones that are unpaid) are the new black.

Like, totally.

Mine is an internship at one of the coolest magazines on the block, one that features food and drinks and travel and food and food.  I’ll be working in their test kitchen, fiddling with recipes and sourcing ingredients and measuring things so precisely you’ll want to slap me in the face.  I couldn’t be more excited.

Changes like these, I think, call for cake.  Don’t you agree?

Strawberry Not So Short Cake

This cake is simple and to the point.  It’s a beautiful way to use up the 4 cartons of strawberries you bought at the market because they looked like gems and smelled like heaven alive.  Yellow cake, sweet cream, strawberries.  Repeat.  Not a bad change, if you ask me.

This is Deb from Smitten Kitchen’s yellow cake recipe.  It’s fantastic.

Ingredients:

For cake:

• 2 cups cake flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon table salt
• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 cup buttermilk

For filling:

• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 3 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 4 cartons fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced lengthwise

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and butter a 9-inch round cake pan.  In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In a separate bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs, one at a time, until fully incorporated.  Next, add the vanilla and scrape the bowl to make sure everything is mixed well.  Add the buttermilk, mixing slowly, until just incorporated (batter will look curdled).  Add the flour mixture in two batches, mixing until everything is just combined.

Spread the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake until golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 25-35 minutes.  Cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes, then invert the cake onto the rack and cool completely, about 1 hour.

While the cake is cooling, slice your strawberries and prepare whipped cream.  In a large bowl, begin to whip the cream with a whisk or electric mixer, until you can see it begin to thicken.  Add the sugar and vanilla and continue whipping until it holds medium peaks.  Be careful not to over whip your cream, or you’ll get little chunks of butter in what you want to be a smooth and creamy filling.

Use a large serrated knife to carefully slice your cake in thirds.  (For a good cake-slicing demo, check out Zoe Francois’ excellent tutorial).  Transfer one of the cake rounds onto your serving plate, and then spread one third of the whipped cream on top.  Arrange a layer of strawberries on top of the cream.  Repeat with the next layer of cake, and work your way up to the top.  To make a pretty strawberry pattern, lay overlapping slices in concentric circles, starting from the outside of the cake and working your way to the center.

Serve immediately.  Possibly with lemonade.

Ahem… is this thing on?

Just checking. It’s been about two months since I last updated this little nook of the internets, and that’s a long time, in blog years.

At any rate, I’m sorry – I didn’t intend on leaving you all post-less for so long. Here’s everything you need to know about the past few (fine, many) weeks:

1. I graduated from pastry school. I am now a pastry chef. (I’m doing my best to sound casual about this. Actually, I’m pretty damn excited about it. HOLLER.)

2. I went on a Eurotrip with my mom, dad, and sister, Casey. A week-long trip to Tuscany, with a day of Rome and a bonus day in Berlin, to boot. Oh, you want to see pictures? Well okay then.

Berlin’s wurst wurst.

Beautiful Tuscany

First dinner in Radda in Chianti

Not at all life size Chianti wine cork

First breakfast in Raddi in Chianti

First cappuccino

Wild Boar – Cinghiale – regional specialty

Strega Nona?

I definitely didn’t hang out here. Nope.

Not even a little bit.

getting mad air by the leaning tower of pizza. …Pisa.

Pretty window in VolterraJust a couple of gladiators, out on the town. …When in Rome?

3. I got a job. A real one, as the private chef to a New York City family of four. Oh, did I mention it’s in the Hamptons? Yeah, I’ll be “summering” in the Hamptons for the next few months, cooking my little heart out for my employers and all their well-to-do guests. I feel like I should get my own reality show.

4. Sour cherry cupcakes. Or muffins. But really, cupcakes. Cupcakes slash muffins…Cuppins?

Sour Cherry Cupcakes with Mascarpone Frosting

I adapted these (only slightly) from a recipe I saw on Smitten Kitchen. Deb uses fresh peaches in her cupcakes, but when my sister, Casey, and I saw some seductive looking sour cherries at the Ardmore Farmer’s Market, we decided they’d be a welcome substitute. Turns out we were right.

Straight out of the oven, these guys are the fluffiest, most delicious muffins, but swirl on a bit of frosting and they turn into fluffy, delicious cupcakes with the perfect balance of sweet and tart. It’s up to you – go sans frosting for muffininity, or pile it on for cupcakery. Either way, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

Ingredients:

For cupcakes:

• 3 cups cake flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks or 6 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) sour cream
• 1 1/2 cups fresh sour cherries, washed, stemmed and pitted

For frosting:

• 1 1/4 cups light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 2 8-ounce packages of mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup (4 ounces or 8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions: For cupcakes:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 28 muffin cups with paper liners.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside. Cream the butter and sugars together, beating until fluffy. Add the vanilla and eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl between each addition. Gently mix in the sour cream. Stir in the dry ingredients and fold in the cherries.

Divide the batter evenly among the prepared cupcake liners. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the center of cupcakes comes out clean. Cool the cupcakes for five minutes in the tin, then turn them out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

For frosting:

In a small bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, cornstarch and powdered sugar. In a large bowl, beat the mascarpone and butter until fluffy. Add the sugar-cornstarch mixture and vanilla, and beat until frosting is smooth and light. Chill the bowl in the refrigerator until it firms up a bit, about 30 minutes, then spread on cooled cupcakes.

Casey “helps” with the frosting

Makes 24-28 cupcakes.

On a sunny, springy weekend in New York City.

Tulips, my favorite. Such deep color, but so friendly and familiar. Just so pretty.

It’d be a shame not to take some home and make them a cozy bed on a baguette with some salted butter. Just saying.

I almost bought one of these:

Just because. But then I decided that a 16-egg omelet for breakfast might be a bit much. So I bought some rhubarb instead, and made some strawberry rhubarb compote.

Which I scooped on top of a piece of warm butter cake, and promptly ate for breakfast. It may have been a bit much, but I think I might do it again tomorrow.

Nigella Lawson’s Brittany Butter Cake

I like this cake. It’s one of those everyday cakes – not terribly fancy… it’s actually quite plain, but delicious nonetheless, and worthy of a few minutes in the kitchen – which is all you’ll need, as this requires very few ingredients and comes together in a snap. It’s moist and dense – it’s texture is more like a blondie than like actual cake, but I don’t know, I’m into it.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups cake flour
• 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• 6 large egg yolks

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Grease a 9-inch springform pan. Remove 1 teaspoon of egg yolk from your 6, and mix it in a small bowl with 1 tablespoon water. You’ll use this as a glaze later on.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, stir together the flour and sugar. Add the butter and egg yolks, and slowly whir them together with the paddle attachment. (If you’re making this by hand, make a mound of the flour on the counter, make a well in it and add the sugar, butter and eggs, kneading to mix thoroughly).

Scoop the dough into the pan and smooth the top with a floured hand (dough will be sticky!)

Brush the cake with the yolk/water glaze, and mark a lattice design on top with the prongs of a fork.

Bake the cake for 15 minutes, then turn the oven down to 350ºF and give it another 25 minutes or so, until it’s golden on top and firm to the touch.

Let it cool in the pan, then unmold.

Serves 8-10.
This cake will keep well in an airtight container.

KISS ME I’M…

A brunette? Hmm, no. …A person who likes cheese? Yeah you’re right, that’s probably not it. Oh wait, wait, I got it:

TOP OF THE MORNIN’ TO YA! LUCK OF THE IRISH!! HAPPY ST. PADDY’S DAY!!! WOOOO!

woo.

Yeah… I’m not really that into this holiday. Notwithstanding my name, I’m not Irish and, if we’re being totally honest here, I suppose I’ll just admit that I don’t really know who St. Patrick was or what he did to land himself a holiday. To me, St. Paddy’s Day is less of a holiday and more of an excuse for dressing monochromatically and day-drinking. Which is fine by me. I’m just saying.

At any rate, if you’re interested in paying homage to St. Patrick in a way that doesn’t involve salacious t-shirts or green beer, I know of something that may help. It’s called Irish Soda Bread.

I recently thought that I didn’t like Irish Soda Bread, until we made it at school and I promptly scarfed down an entire loaf. You’d think there’s something off-putting about the combination of caraway seeds and dried currants, but it’s actually kind of inspired. And it turns out that the term Irish Soda Bread is a bit misleading, given that, in texture and crumb, this loaf is exactly like a giant scone.

Even if you’re not into day-drinking, don’t you think this sounds like something you can get behind? Erin Go Bragh, Lads!

Irish Soda Bread

This makes enough dough for two 6-inch round loaves. Make two, freeze one? Or eat both. I won’t tell anyone.

Ingredients:

• 390 grams all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 50 grams granulated sugar
• 25 grams butter, cut into small chunks
• 110 grams dried currants (raisins are a fine substitute)
• 1 tablespoon caraway seeds
• 280 milliliters buttermilk

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

Combine the all-purpose flour, salt, baking soda, and cream of tartar in a large bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Cut in the butter, using two knives or a pastry cutter, or the paddle attachment of a stand mixer, until the butter is the size of peas.

Add the currants and caraway seeds. Add the buttermilk, and mix just to combine. The dough will still look a bit shaggy, but that’s okay.

Shape the dough into two round loaves, and cut a deep, broad “X” in the top, approximately 1 to 1 1/2 inches deep.

Bake the loaves on a large sheet pan (or two), lined with parchment paper, for 30 to 40 minutes, until a brown crust forms and a skewer comes out clean.

Enjoy with a few pats of soft butter. And a green beer, if you’re so inclined.

I’m a single gal… obviously. I mean, it’s always been just the one of me. At any rate, I’m also a single single girl. Which some people might say is my cue to be a Valentine’s Day hater, but I’m not biting. Yes, the commercialization of the holiday is rampant and gross, but I can’t help but appreciate a holiday so closely involved with chocolate. And sugar. And things that are cute and pink.

Take these, for example.

White chocolate cupcakes with white chocolate cream cheese frosting. So cute!

These little Valentines are moist and cakey. And they’re sweet but not too sweet, as the best Valentines always are. Make them for your significant other or, if you’re single, for your significant others (hi Ems, Case, Mom, Katies, Jenny, Co, Rads, Carly, Kath, Meredith, Tina and Jeannie! Love you, txt me, cutie pies.)

Happy Valentine’s Day!

White Chocolate Cupcakes with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

For cupcakes:

• 1 cup cake flour
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 4 ounces white chocolate (I used Ghiradelli white chocolate chips)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon milk

For frosting:

• 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/4 cup butter, room temperature
• 1 ounce white chocolate, melted and cooled
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 3 teaspoons milk or cream
• 2-3 cups confectioners sugar
• Conversation hearts, for decorating

Directions:

For cupcakes:

Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Line 24 cupcake molds with paper liners. Whisk together the flours, baking powder, and salt. Melt the chocolate in the microwave at 30-second intervals, or over a pot of simmering water.

Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs and beat until smooth. Add the white chocolate and vanilla extract. Next, add the dry ingredients and the milk in alternating additions, starting and ending with the dry. Mix until just combined. Pour the batter into the paper-lined cupcake molds, and bake for 20-30 minutes, until the cakes spring back to the touch and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the cupcakes before frosting.

To make the frosting, cream together the butter and cream cheese. Add the chocolate and beat until smooth. Add the vanilla, zest and milk, and then add 2 cups of confectioners sugar. Beat to combine. If you want thicker frosting, add more confectioners sugar (just be aware that this will make the frosting sweeter, obviously).

Once the cakes are thoroughly cooled, spread or pipe the frosting on top. Decorate with conversation hearts.

Makes 24 standard-sized cupcakes.