strawberry crumb cake

strawberries are ripe, ripe, ripe

in my neck of the woods

every farm stand along my tuesday evening route

touts the sweetest and freshest

organic berries

i can't resist

particularly because i make a really great strawberry-rhubarb jam

that disappears faster than anything else in the pantry

i grab loads of the juicy red fruit

whenever i find it

which now

is a lot

being as we spend most days at the ranch now

finding ourselves at days end

counting idle minutes on one hand

it feels less guilty to indulge in a bit of sweet

at day's close

when i have a moment

i bake a cake

like this one

a simple twist on a classic crumb cake

using the sweet ripe fruit of the season

in its crumb

strawberry crumb cake

cake

1 1/4 cup cake flour (sifted, then measured)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp kosher salt

3/4 cup unsalted butter (room temperature--cut into cubes)

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

1 tsp vanilla

1/3 cup buttermilk

4 tsp of your favorite strawberry (or strawberry-rhubarb) jam

place the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment.  quickly give it a few turns to incorporate everything together.  add the butter. *the butter should be softened, but not warm and creamy.  you want it to mix into the flour mixture making more of a clumpy sand consistency, then a creamed.  mix the ingredients until the butter is finely incorporated into the flour mixture.  meanwhile, combine the buttermilk and vanilla.  add the whole egg and the egg yolk to the flour mixture and mix until incorporated.  use a spatula to scrape down the sides and bottom of bowl to ensure there are no dry spots.  with the mixer on low speed, add the buttermilk/vanilla mixture and mix until just incorporated. do not over mix  pour into a 8x8 buttered square cake pan.  strategically plop the 4 tsp of jam (you can add a bit more if you like) in the batter.  run the back of a butter knife through the cake batter to swirl the jam through evenly.  set aside while you prepare the crumble.

crumble

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 tsp kosher salt

2 cups all purpose flour

10 Tbs unsalted butter--fairly cold--cut into 1/2" pieces

1 cup fresh ripe strawberries--cut into 1/4" dice

mix together the sugar, salt and flour by hand in a large bowl.  drop in butter and either work in by hand, or use pastry knives/fork/blender to make fairly large crumble.  tip in the strawberries and work in by hand, using a bit of a firm hand, to get them mixed up well in the flour mixture.  don't squeeze and knead, you do not want to warm the butter, but allow the strawberries to fully incorporate into the crumb.  gently pile on top of the cake. *some of the crumbs will sink into the cake as it bakes, which is why i make SO MUCH CRUMB! 

bake in a 375F oven for about 35-45 minutes.  Check after 30 minutes and keep an eye on it.  the cake is moist, so it can tolerate a bit of over baking, but don't forget to keep an eye on it.  check  by using a toothpick or wooden skewer to see if it is done baking. allow to cool completely before eating

i love sweets {buffet}

when asked to donate

a sweets table

for a school auction

i enlisted the help of a friend

because

well

to put it mildly

i can run amok

grand ideas

outlandish displays

(we shall never forget the 15 foot lighted eiffel tower we HAD to make for last year's french theme)

and

fancy packaging

always seem like a great idea

before

two days of frantic baking

my friend

is a voice of reason

incredible creative talent

meticulous taste

and

the queen of cones

together

we were able to put together 

this darling display

expressing the event theme of

LOVE

coffee cake recipe

sugar cookie recipe

*labels and signs created by hubster

a day for cake

today is national coffee cake day

good thing

because 

it is rainy 

and windy

 just the kind of day

to sit in front of the fire

with a cup of coffee

and a piece 

of this amazing cake

with sugary topping

piled high

printable recipe can be found

  here

the road to hana is lined with banana bread

dying bananas 

(as i like to call them)

pile up in my freezer

i can't bring myself to throw away

bananas that are just too ripe to eat

so 

i plop them in a freezer bag

where they lay in wait

for me to be inspired

on the island of maui

stretches the road to hana

a beautiful picturesque

and windy road

lined with roadside stands

 each selling

the "island's best"

 banana bread

each recipe unique

handed down for generations

and while 

all different

all were tasty

i know

we tried them 

sitting here in the warmth of sunny southern california

i can only dream

of our days on the island

and on which curve

our banana bread stand would sit

Island's Best Banana Bread
(printable recipe)

1/2 cup butter--room temp

1/2 cup cream cheese--room temp

1 cup light brown sugar--lightly packed

1/3 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs--room temp

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp vanilla

3 large over-ripe bananas (about 1 1/2 cups mashed)

1 cup sour cream

2 3/4 cup all purpose flour

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 cups toasted walnuts

cream the butter, cream cheese together, until they are melded together.  add the brown, granulated sugar and salt and beat until fully creamed, and light and fluffy. add the eggs and vanilla and beat until fully incorporated, about 2 minutes...you do not want it to be light and airy, as you are making a bit of a dense, moist bread. toss in the mashed bananas and again mix for about 2 minutes.   mix together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda and baking powder together in a bowl.  with the mixer on low, alternately add the flour and sour cream, beginning and ending with flour, in 3 parts.  mix the walnuts in by hand.  pour into 2 loaf pans that have been buttered and floured.  bake in a preheated 350 oven for about 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

*note: the spices of cinnamon and nutmeg are not clearly noticeable in this recipe, they just give the cake a bit of depth. if you love the taste of either one, you can increase as you see fit.  i like the roundness a bit of spice gives without it overpowering the banana flavor.

oh

that little whipped indulgence you see sitting along-side the bread

that is

just 

equal parts crunchy peanut butter

and

softened cream cheese

topped with a bit of honey

just a little schmear

for those of us who

think Elvis knew what he was doing

monday morning blues

sometimes 

on monday mornings

i move slowly

we have been working hard

on our garden

so today 
when the morning sun 

poked its head

i hid mine

and then 
i remembered

i needed to make coffee cake

for a late morning meeting

it is a recipe you have seen before

but

there is nothin' better

for 

monday morning blues

 than 

coffee

and

cake

Big Ginormous Coffee Cake

(adapted from Nancy Silverton's La Brea Bakery Cookbook)

Streusel

1  cup toasted walnuts

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup dark brown sugar

1/2 cup flour

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup softened butter

Sprinkling Sugar Layer

1 Tbs granulated sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup toasted walnuts

Batter

8 oz unsalted butter--room temperature

1 3/4 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp kosher salt

2 1/2 cups granulated sugar

3 extra-large eggs

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

4 cups flour

2 cups sour cream

For the struesel:  Mix in a bowl all ingredients except the nuts. Mix until it becomes a bit lumpy then toss together with nuts. Set aside

For the Batter:  Cream the butter, baking soda, baking powder and salt on low until softened and mixed together. Add sugar and mix until light and fluffy.  Mix together the eggs and vanilla in a bowl.  Alternately add to the sugar and butter the eggs and the flour, beginning and ending with the flour.  Stir until just incorporated, do not over-beat.  Stir in the sour cream.

Line the bottom of a tube pan with baking paper, spray with pan spray being sure to hit the inner tube well.  Spoon half of the batter in the pan and spread to create an even layer.  Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mix over on top of the batter.  Drop the nuts on top and press a bit to get them into the batter. Spread remaining batter evenly on top and then cover with the streusel mixture.

Bake in a preheated 350 oven until firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

It will take more than an hour.

ps. this time i made the cake in a 10x10x3 pan and doubled the streusel

picnic on parade

on the eve of 2009

we are lucky enough to live on the rose parade route

so every new year's eve

gathering begins

people begin to gather on the streets

setting up camp

lighting fires

preparing for a sleepless night

and

lots of childish fun

and then once dark falls

the floats begin to arrive

people bustling about

readying those famous floats

testing out the mechanics

and

adding the final touches of flourish

all this happens

on our doorstep

and there is no sleep to be had

no fighting the crowds

so what we do

is enjoy the heck out of it

but

i have found that

new year's day comes rather quickly

and i am usually in need of food and coffee

as i rush out the door

as the live action of the floats, bands, horses and cheer of the crowd

begins

so

i pack a breakfast

easy and ready in an instant

in as long as it takes for me to brew a pot of coffee

i have a well balanced meal

that i greedily eat

while others watch in envy

Breakfast Picnic

everything needs to be made in advance 1 or 2 days ahead of time and put together before you head out the door

Frittata Sandwich
(printable recipe)

1/2 potato or leftover baked potato--sliced

a few thin slices of onion

olive oil

handful of grated cheese

4 eggs

pinch basil

Tbs milk

salt and pepper

baguette or hard roll

up to 2 days before serving.  Whisk together eggs, milk, salt, pepper and grated cheese.  Take a small (5 or 6") skillet and add a glug of olive oil. Keep on low and cook potatoes and onion until soft and beginning to brown.  pour in the eggs and cook on low until it is cooked through. it is meant to look like a round omelet.  I pop mine into a 350 oven to finish cooking, so i can move on to other things

remove from pan, put on a plate and pop in fridge until you need it.

when ready to make the sandwich, toast a baguette, place a wedge of frittata on top and wrap. You can add more cheese or some bacon if you are so inclined. You can also add any of that to the frittata while you are cooking it.

Rich and Creamy Yogurt

2 cups non-fat plain yogurt

cheesecloth

strainer

bowl

vanilla

honey

apples for dipping

line the strainer with cheesecloth and place over a bowl.  Pour in yogurt, tie up the cheeescloth with a bit of twine and place the whole contraption in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours.  This will drain most of the moisture from the yogurt..making it thick like that expensive yogurt, but a lot cheaper.  Add vanilla and honey to taste...or eat it plain with berries on top. I also use this like cream cheese. It is amazingly rich and delicious!

Coffee Cake

recipe in a previous post

you can also make some Cocoa

from this post

just heat some milk in the microwave

stir and enjoy

Put it all in a fun container, a lunch pail, or a paper sack

and enjoy the parade

your stomach will thank you

a cake and a smile

i long for the days of past when family, neighbors and old friends would stop by for coffee and cake

when

birthdays were celebrated with a small dinner and then extended family coming by for birthday cake and coffee

is that a tradition lost with generations past?

perhaps

it is that people don't just visit anymore

or

 that cake has turned from an attribute of community and friendship

into

a carbohydrate laden capital lettered DON'T

I prefer a piece coffee cake to birthday cake

because

 it has to rely on itself to be good

it doesn't have some kind of amazing mocha-buttercream frosting to make it moist

or big red roses with that funny but somehow pleasing taste

and

it really does taste great with coffee

or a

mug of tea

and

 it reminds me of my grandparents

who

 insisted on having coffee and cake

while

playing gin and smoking cigarettes

on our back porch

on warm summer nights

my entire childhood

it was magic

and makes me smile

Big Ginormous Coffee Cake
(printable recipe)

(adapted from Nancy Silverton's La Brea Bakery Cookbook)

Streusel

1  cup toasted walnuts

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup dark brown sugar

1/2 cup flour

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup softened butter

Sprinkling Sugar Layer

1 Tbs granulated sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup toasted walnuts

Batter

8 oz unsalted butter--room temperature

1 3/4 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp kosher salt

2 1/2 cups granulated sugar

3 extra-large eggs

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

4 cups flour

2 cups sour cream

For the struesel:  Mix in a bowl all ingredients except the nuts. Mix until it becomes a bit lumpy then toss together with nuts. Set aside

For the Batter:  Cream the butter, baking soda, baking powder and salt on low until softened and mixed together. Add sugar and mix until light and fluffy.  Mix together the eggs and vanilla in a bowl.  Alternately add to the sugar and butter the eggs and the flour, beginning and ending with the flour.  Stir until just incorporated, do not over-beat.  Stir in the sour cream.

Line the bottom of a tube pan with baking paper, spray with pan spray being sure to hit the inner tube well.  Spoon half of the batter in the pan and spread to create an even layer.  Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mix over on top of the batter.  Drop the nuts on top and press a bit to get them into the batter. Spread remaining batter evenly on top and then cover with the streusel mixture.

Bake in a preheated 350 oven until firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

It will take more than an hour.

Make a pot of coffee

pick up the phone

and

 invite some friends over

for a game of cards

 or

just some laughs

Channeling Andy Rooney

I love cookbooks and I read them like they are novels.  Novels I won't pass on to my friends.  I always like to share a great book I have read, and have a pact with friends; i"ll let you borrow the book, but pass it on to someone else when you are done. Typically, I don't want it back. Only twice have I regretted to that rule. I passed on 1st editions of both Wicked and A Confederacy of Dunces.  Had I known when I read them, that they would be possible collector's items, I might have purchased separate "pass on copies" .  But, I console myself by knowing that if  kept they would have eventually been misplaced or lost. It's much better to have loved and lost, than have them yellowing in a box in the back of a closet somewhere.
My cookbooks don't get passed on.  I write in the margins, cross out entire sections and create from those published works of art.  I have never counted the number, but if I have 1, I have 150.  I have a custom bookcase in the office, filled not with literature, but with cookbooks and travel guides.  I am not "a riddle wrapped in mystery inside an enigma."  Five minutes in our house and you know me.  You know everything about me--including what shoes I have worn this last week.

i wear shoes only because society expects it, and public bathrooms are dirty.  If I could, I would go barefoot 24/7.  I hate shoes...or should I say, I hate wearing shoes. I love matching a shoe to an outfit...or having my shoes be the one element of my outfit that reflects my personality--which is saying something as I usually wear all black, all navy or all brown.  I'm a real jackie o, except I'm short, stout, blonde and own a condo instead of a yacht. Anyway, to make a short story long...my shoes come off the minute I hit the threshold. Except for when I am in the kitchen. I have kitchen shoes... because I need to reach the top shelf of the fridge.

I haven't baked in a while. With all my canning, I still have a few pears left. The weather is downright fall-like, and I want to play with flour.  My bedside reading last night was Dorie Greenspan's Baking.  Dorie is an amazing baker whom has written countless recipes and is the author of  Baking with Julia.  She's also quite thin, which naturally makes me suspicious...but that is for another day.
I'm sure she is a wonderful person.


I have earmarked a dozen or so recipes that I wish to try, but have never actually done so.
I am the worst recipe follower. I can't make a recipe as it is written. It's like a mental block.  With baking it is more sketchy than with cooking, as there is actually chemistry involved, but, I'm not cooking for The King.  So what if I make a mistake...it's hardly ever awful.


Today I wanted to incorporate some of those pears into a coffee cake.  I love cardamom and Dorie's recipe for cardamom coffee cake looked just the trick. Except I changed it up a bit.  The idea is definitely hers...the execution, mine.

This cake is not sweet...it is a real coffee cake.  If you take a whole bite, meaning top to bottom, it will be sweet enough, moist enough and spiced enough.  If you remove the crumb and then eat the cake...well, you get what you get.
Please refer to the recipe for the method.

Here are the ingredients and amounts I used
Cardamom Coffee Cake
CAKE
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp  baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp cardamom
pinch nutmeg
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp cocoa powder
grated zest of 1/2 grapefruit
2 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup freshly made espresso--cooled
1 stick butter--melted and cooled
1 tsp vanilla
CRUMB
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cardamom
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1 stick unsalted butter
generous pinch of salt
1 /2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup or more toasted slivered almonds
grated peel of 1/2 grapefruit
PEARS
Peel, core and generously slice 4 cups of pears.  In a skillet, melt 1/2 stick unsalted butter.  Add about 1/2 cup of brown sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp cardamom and a pinch or two of salt.  Throw the pears in and cook until all caramelly and the pears soften.  Adjust flavors to your liking. They should be sweet, but not overly so.
Pour 1/2 the cake batter in the pan.  Place a layer of pears, then proceed with the remaining batter.  Place another layer of pears on top.  Finally, evenly top with crumb.

Bake, cool, eat.

I made enough pears so that I could put a few on the plate with the cake.  They are also delicious on ice cream, on top of waffles or pancakes, or just eaten by themselves.


post script:  This entry was originally entitled "a good read..." but according to my husband, when I read it to him, I sounded just like mr. rooney.  So I read it again, in andy's voice, and it did sound like something he would say. Mike was right, and I had a good giggle.