No-Fly Lemon-Amaretto Cake

I want to thank everyone for being supportive of my blog. It's fun to write and I appreciate all the comments - and all of the suggestions of what to cook next. Today's recipe was suggested by my friend Mike. He says he has been making this Lemon-Amaretto Cake since he was about 10 years old, minus the alcohol in his formative years.

I actually made this cake back in December, divided into 2 loaf pans, and took them to Finland with me as hostess gifts for the families that I was visiting. You can see slices of the cake on the table (left) during a morning visit with the extended family. (The other photos are from the farm I stayed at during Christmas). Although the cake was well received with morning coffee and was the perfect post-sauna (pronounced "s-ow-na") snack, I would estimate that the loaves added about 5 pounds of weight to my carry-on and I was a little worried that I might have some trouble with getting through security. Alcohol drenched pound cake is a perfect terrorist weapon - brick like and perhaps a good vessel for chloroform. Does anyone else spend time thinking about ways to get things passed through TSA? Really, I would like think they make us safer, but if there are terrorists as smart and as creative as I am...well, we should be afraid. I hope this post doesn't put me on the no-fly list.

I had some discussions with Mike about the best way to soak the cake in the Amaretto syrup to get the most absorption. When warm? When cold? My final strategy was to apply the syrup with several applications, applying both when warm and when cool.

Lemon-Amaretto Cake

source: Cooks.com

Ingredients 

Cake

1 1/2 c. sliced almonds

1/2 lb. unsalted butter, softened

2 c. granulated sugar

1 tbsp. finely grated lemon zest

2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour

1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. lemon extract

5 eggs

Syrup 

6 tbsp. granulated sugar

4 tbsp. Amaretto liqueur

3 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

Instructions 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread almonds on a baking sheet and place in oven for 8 to 10 minutes, or until just golden. Remove and set aside.
2. Lightly grease and flour two 5 x 8 loaf pans  Sprinkle 1/2 cup of toasted almonds evenly between the bottoms of the two pans (1/4 cup in each pan). See #4 in the notes section.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter, sugar and lemon zest together until pale yellow and fluffy. Add flour; stir just enough to blend.
4. Add lemon juice and extracts. Stir. Add eggs, one at a time, stirring after each addition.
5. With a rubber spatula, gently fold in all of the remaining toasted almonds.
6. Scrape the batter into the prepared pans and bake until cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour and 5 minutes. (After 30 minutes of baking, cover top of cake tightly with aluminum foil).
7. While cake is baking, prepare syrup: In a saucepan, slowly heat the sugar, Amaretto and lemon juice, stirring, until sugar melts. Reserve until ready to use.
8. When the cake is done, remove from oven; with a cake tester or a shish kabob skewer, poke holes all over the top of the cake. Carefully pour or brush on 1/2 of the syrup until it is absorbed into the holes. You may need to make several applications because the entire amount probably won't absorb all at once. Cool cake in the pan on a cake rack for 10 minutes.
9. Gently invert the cake onto another rack and remove from pan. With cake tester, poke holes in the bottom and sides of cake; brush each side with remaining syrup. 
10. You can keep brushing the cake with straight liqueur if you want or put some Amaretto in the bottom of the pan and put the loaf back into the pan for soaking. I think used an additional 1/4 cup of Amaretto, and probably could have used more.
11. Let cake cool completely before placing in gift container, gift-wrapping and taking to your airport's security check.
Serves 12 good size pieces. Per serving (with the syrup) : 481 calories, 24g fat, 130mg cholesterol.

Notes about this recipe: 
1. If you don't have lemon extract, don't worry. You can just use a little more lemon juice or leave it out for a less lemony cake.


2. To apply the syrup, I ended up using the squeeze bottle shown in the photo, and poured liquid directly into the holes I created with the cake tester/skewer. I also tried a pastry brush but had less control of where the syrup went. I think you could also just use a teaspoon to help pour the syrup into the holes.
3. You can also use a single 10-inch nonstick Bundt pan (instead of the 2 loaf pans) and cook for 1 hour and 10 minutes.
4. If I make this recipe again as loaves, I will probably sprinkle the almonds on top instead of the bottom. The idea is to have a decorative top of your cake. With a bundt pan, the top is the bottom, so you should put the almonds on the bottom of the pan before adding the batter. For loaves, the top is the top so the almonds should be sprinkled on top, after the batter is put in the pans.

Pear Upside-Down Cake - A Quickie But Has Great Lasting Power and A Smooth Finish

Looking for a quick dessert, but one that also has lasting power and a smooth finish? Yes indeed, you can have your cake and eat it too! This is also a good recipe for a little experimenting of your own. Kinda sounds like a match.com ad or a post on the M4W board on craigslist, doesn't it? Sigh, oh the joys of being single in the city. I've recently given up on the internet dating scene and am turning my sights to something a little more reliable, like my Cook's Illustrated Magazine, the source for this week's recipe. Cook's Illustrated is a bi-monthly cooking magazine. I prefer the printed version, although I don't have a lot of experience with the online version since they make you pay extra for it. One of my favorite Cook's Illustrated features is the head-to-head comparisons of kitchen gadgets and pantry staples - from coffee grinders and olive oil to cookie sheets and ready made pie doughs. These face-offs are the Consumer Reports of the kitchen world. Cook's also deconstructs recipes and experiments with them to find the use-at-home tips to help every experience level of a cook produce an Nigella Lawson or Alton Brown quality end product. The description of the experimentation process totally appeals to my left brain. For all you geeks who like to cook or want to learn to cook better, this is a good magazine for you. Put it on your holiday list.

In the September/October 2009 issue, Cook's takes us back to the origins of the upside-down cake. Prior to the pineapple craze of the early part of the 1900's, upside-down cakes were made with seasonal fruit. The recipe published in this month's magazine uses apples. My friends Missy and Frank served me a slice of this recipe substituted with pears - I too had pears from my farm share which allowed me to do a little experimenting of my own.

This pear upside-down cake is pretty fantastic - there are so many good things about it. Although there is the added step of caramelizing the pears, the cake is pretty quick to make. The sour cream makes it very smooth and creamy - very moist even after a few days of sitting on the counter just covered by saran wrap. The size was another thing I liked about it (insert your favorite Michael Scott one-liner here). Baking for one is tough - you really don't want to look back and say "Oh no! I ate that whole chocolate cake!" But this cake is baked in a single 9-inch round cake pan - so if you eat the whole thing it doesn't seem so bad, especially if you count the pears as 2 servings of fruit.

I added Grand Marnier to the recipe to give it a little orange flavor. I think experimenting with amaretto or spiced rum would also provide a wonderful complimentary flavor.

Pear Upside-Down Cake
Adapted from Cook's Illustrated

Serves 8 

You will need a 9-inch nonstick cake pan with sides that are at least 2 inches high. You can also use a 10-inch ovenproof stainless steel skillet (don't use cast iron) to both cook the pears and bake the cake, with the following modifications: Cook the pears in the skillet and set them aside while mixing the batter (it's OK if the skillet is still warm when the batter is added) and increase the baking time by 7 to 9 minutes. If you don't have either a 2-inch high cake pan or an ovenproof skillet, use and 8-inch square pan.

Ingredients
Topping
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces, plus extra for the pan
5 pears, peeled and cored (avoid overripe pears)
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
3 teaspoons Grand Marnier (or 2 tsp of lemon juice)

Cake
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons Grand Marnier (optional)

Instructions
1. FOR THE TOPPING: Butter bottom and sides of 9-inch round, 2-inch-deep nonstick cake pan; set aside. Adjust your oven rack to the lowest position and heat over to 350 degrees.
2. Peel and quarter pears and remove seeds and core. Cut 2 pears into 1/4 thick slices; set aside. Cut remaining 3 pears into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Heat butter in 12-inch skillet over medium heat. When foaming subsides, add 1/2-inch-thick pear slices and cook, stirring 2 or 3 times, until pears begin to caramelized, 4 to 6 minutes. (Do not fully cook pears.) Add 1/4-inch-thick apple slices, brown sugar, and Grand Marnier; continue cooking, stirring constantly, until sugar dissolves and apples are coated, about 1 minute longer. Transfer apple mixture to prepared pan and lightly press into even layer. Set aside while preparing cake.

Note: When I made the cake, it seemed like there was a lot of "liquid" in this step. This may have been because the pears were too ripe and lots of water was released during the cooking. I did not pour all of the buttery sugar liquid into the cake pan in fear that it would bubble out of the side.

3. FOR THE CAKE: Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside. Whisk granulated sugar, brown sugar, and eggs together in a large bowl until thick and homogenous, about 45 seconds. Slowly whisk in butter until combined. Add sour cream, vanilla, and Grand Marnier; whisk until combined. Add flour mixture and whisk until just combined. Pour batter into pan and spread evenly over fruit. Bake until cake is golden brown and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. You may need to keep an eye on it to make sure the topping does bubble up and over the sides of the pan.

4. Cool pan on wire rack for 20 minutes, allowing the the fruit topping to set. Run paring knife around sides of the cake to loosen. Place wire rack over the cake pan. Holding the rack tightly, invert cake pan and wire rack together; lift off cake pan. Cooling the cake of the wire rack helps the bottom of the cake breathe and avoid sogginess while cooling. Place wire rack over a baking sheet or large plate to catch any drips. If any fruit sticks to the bottom of the pan, remove and position on top of cake. Let cake cool 20 minutes (or longer to cool it completely), then transfer to serving platter, cut into pieces, and serve.

Experiment:

• Substitute 4 Granny Smith or Golden Delicious apples (about 2 pounds), peeled and cored instead of the pears
• Upside-Down Cake with Almonds: Follow the recipe, combining 1/3 cup finely ground toasted almonds with flour and substituting Amaretto for the Grand Marnier
• Experiment with other types of alcohol - spiced rum matches well with the apples.
  

Chocolate Stoudt Cake

OMG this cake is freakin' delicious and it's from one of my favorite cooking blogs Smitten Kitchen. My friend Emily made this cake the other night - it took no time at all to mix up and put in the oven. Kevin helped by drinking the other half of the stoudt and buttering the bundt pan. If only I had a boyfriend like that...

I took some pictures but they look like I drank an entire six pack of stoudt before I took them, so I will just link out to the Smitten recipe and you can see how good your cake can look. It's good to have goals. I'm pretty sure the cake will still taste fantastic no matter what it looks like.

Mmmmm, I just had a piece of the cake. Damn. Two days later the cake is just as moist and yummy. Be careful, one piece is never enough. Schedule an extra work out or two during the week you make this cake. One minor alcoholic modification was made to the Smitten adaptation - coffee liquer was used in the ganache instead of instant coffee crystals. Ganache is a fancy french word for easy-to-make chocolate frosting made with heavy cream.
Chocolate Stout Cake
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen who Adapted from the Barrington Brewery in Great Barrington, MA via Bon Appetit (wow, gotta give props where props are due, no matter how many people have reposted this recipe)
Cake Ingredients
1 cup stout (such as Guinness)
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sour cream
Ganache Ingredients
6 ounces good semisweet chocolate chips
6 tablespoons heavy cream
1 tablespoon coffee liqueur

Cake prep:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter or spray a bundt pan well; make sure you get in all of the nooks and crannies. (Some people even go so far as to brush the inside of their bundt pans with melted butter–you cannot be too careful!). Bring 1 cup stout and 1 cup butter to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.
Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and 3/4 teaspoon salt in large bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend. Add stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine. Add flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed. Using rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Transfer cake to rack; cool completely in the pan, then turn cake out onto rack for drizzling ganache.
Ganache:
For the ganache, melt the chocolate, heavy cream, and coffee liqueur in the top of a double boiler over simmering water until smooth and warm, stirring occasionally. Drizzle over the top of cooled cake.