Banana cake with cashew nuts

Last weekend, feeling better after a cold, I was in the mood for some baking: the days were cold, so turning the oven on was a very nice thing to do. I had a few bananas getting super brown on the counter and knew that they deserved to be used in something delicious, that is why I baked a banana cake with cashew nuts – I took the cake to the office on Monday, and it was a huge hit with my coworkers.

A week or so before I had bought some ingredients with a very nice baking session in mind, and after deciding to make a banana cake I grabbed the cashew nut flour and the salted, toasted cashew nuts to incorporate them into my recipe.

The cake turned out absolutely tender and moist, because of the addition of the nut flour and yogurt, and with that kind of deeply banana flavor that can only be achieved by using really ripe bananas.

I poured a quite simple glaze on the cooled cake and sprinkled it all with the chopped toasted cashew nuts – the cake turned out beautiful and the combo of flavors was spot on. The batter is prepared like a muffin batter, so no need to use a mixer or any other equipment.

When I saw the cake, I thought “well, that is a LOT of cake”, but when I saw my coworkers raving about it (and some of them getting seconds), I knew it was the right amount. 😊

 

Banana cake with cashew nuts

own recipe

 

Cake:

1 ½ cups (210g) all-purpose flour

¾ cup (75g) cashew nut flour (replace with almond flour if you like)

1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon table salt

4 medium very ripe bananas (400g/14oz unpeeled)

1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon (total of 78g) granulated sugar

2 tablespoons (26g) light brown sugar, packed

1/3 cup (85g) plain yogurt (no sugar added)

½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

¼ cup (60ml) neutral vegetable oil

3 large eggs, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 teaspoons Frangelico or Amaretto – optional; they enhance the nut flavor

 

Glaze:

1 cup (140g) icing sugar

2 ½ tablespoons milk

 

Finishing touches:

½ cup (70g) salted, toasted cashew nuts, chopped

 

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350°F. Line a 20x30cm (8x12in) baking pan with foil and brush the foil with oil.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, the cashew nut flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mash the bananas with a fork until you get a rustic purée. Add the sugars, yogurt, butter, oil, eggs, vanilla and Frangelico/Amaretto (if using) and whisk well. Add the dry ingredients and whisk again to incorporate – do not overmix. Pour batter into prepared pan, smooth the top and bake for 30-35 minutes or until risen and golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool completely over a wire rack.

Glaze: sift the icing sugar into a small bowl and gradually add the milk, whisking until you get the desired consistency. Pour over the cooled cake and spread it evenly. Sprinkle with the toasted nuts.

 

Makes 24

Rangpur lime cake

When I first started cooking from foreign books, magazines and food blogs, I was amazed to find out so many new ingredients – and until some point in time, I was not able to find some of them in Brazil.

Almond extract was one of them – I could only find the synthetic stuff here, so when I first went to New York, in 2012, I brought home a small bottle of Nielsen-Massey’s almond extract. To my surprise, when I tried it and baked it for the first time, I found it… weird. It was not what I expected – to me, it still felt artificial. So after that I went back to using Amaretto to replace almond extract in recipes, as I had been doing before my trip with great success.

When I saw Claire Saffitz making her almond poppy seed cake on YouTube I was immediately interested in the recipe – since I wanted to bake something but did not have much butter in the fridge – plus my good friend Ellen had told me the cake was truly wonderful.

First I thought of making the cake using Amaretto instead, but then I decided to tweak Claire’s recipe just a little to flavor the cake with the lovely Rangpur limes I had brought from the farmers’ market – the cake turned out tender and absolutely delicious, perfumed with the limes and the smell took over the apartment while the cake was in the oven - it smelled so good it was very hard to wait for the cake to cool to slice it. 😊

If Rangpur limes are not easy to find where you live, go ahead and use lemons or limes instead.  

 

Rangpur lime cake

slightly adapted from Claire Saffitz’s almond poppy seed cake

 

Cake:

1 cup (200g) granulated sugar

finely grated zest of 2 large Rangpur limes (about 60g each lime)

1 ½ cups (210g) all purpose flour

¾ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

¾ cup (180ml) whole milk, room temperature

2/3 cup (160ml) canola oil

1 large egg, room temperature

1 large egg yolk, room temperature

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 ½ teaspoons Rangpur lime juice

1 tablespoon Cointreau (optional)

 

Glaze:

1/3 cup (46g) icing sugar

½ tablespoon (7g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

3 teaspoons Rangpur lime juice

 

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Brush with oil a 6-cup capacity loaf pan (22x11cm/8.5x4.5in), line with baking paper leaving an overhang in the two longer sides and brush the paper as well.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, rub together sugar and zest with your fingertips until sugar is fragrant. Add flour, baking powder, salt, and whisk. Set aside.

In a medium bowl whisk well the milk, oil, egg, egg yolk, vanilla extract, lime juice and Cointreau (if using). Pour over dry ingredients and then mix in high speed for 1 minute or until batter is smooth.

Transfer to prepared pan and bake for about 80 minutes, or until risen and golden and a skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

Cool in the pan over a wire rack for 15 minutes, then carefully unmold using paper as guide.

In the meantime, make the glaze: sift the icing sugar into a small bowl, add the remaining ingredients and whisk well until you get a pourable consistency (add more juice if necessary).

After unmolding the cake, peel off the paper from the sides of the cake (only the sides at this point, since the cake will still be very fragile to be turned around) and pierce the cake all around with a toothpick. Brush with the glaze on top and sides, until all the glaze is absorbed. Cool completely before serving.

Cake can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Serves 8-10 slices

Tangerine sour cream cake

After I started tweaking Epicuriou’s yogurt cake recipe for different cake flavors it took me a good while to make cake using butter again – every time I thought of it, I had to drop the idea for not having enough time for the butter to soften (I don’t have a microwave oven). 

The day came when I had to use up some heavy cream sitting on the fridge before it went bad, and ended up making a sour cream cake that called for butter. It turned out very tender, perfumed with tangerines – both zest and juice – and delicious. My husband loved the cake with the glaze on top. 

The cake is drenched in tangerine juice after being unmolded, which makes it wonderfully moist. Do try the recipe with oranges in case you don’t have tangerines around (the original recipe calls for lemon).

Tangerine sour cream cake

adapted from this recipe

 

Cake:

2 cups (280g) all-purpose flour

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon table salt

1 ¼ cups (250g) granulated sugar

finely grated zest of 2 medium tangerines

180g unsalted butter, softened

3 large eggs, room temperature

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

2 teaspoons Cointreau - optional

1 cup sour cream*

 

To brush the cake:

3 tablespoons tangerine juice

 

Glaze:

½ cup (70g) icing sugar

2 tablespoons tangerine juice

 

Start with the cake: preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Butter and flour an 8-cup capacity Bundt pan.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

Place sugar and tangerine zest in the bowl of an electric mixer and rub them together with your fingertips until sugar is fragrant. Add the butter then beat until mixture is very light and fluffy – scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula several times throughout the making of the cake. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition. Beat in the vanilla and Cointreau (if using).

On low speed, beat in the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the sour cream in two additions. Beat until combined only – do not overmix.

Spoon into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake in the oven for 45-55 minutes or until golden and risen and a skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool in the pan over a wire rack for 20 minutes, then carefully unmold onto the rack. Once cake is unmolded, brush it all over with the tangerine juice, until it is absorbed completely.

Make the glaze: gradually add the tangerine juice to the icing sugar, mixing until you get the desired consistency. Pour over the cooled cake.

*homemade sour cream: to make 1 cup of sour cream, mix 1 cup (240ml) heavy cream with 2-3 teaspoons lemon juice in a bowl. Whisk until it starts to thicken. Cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for 1 hour or until thicker (I usually leave mine on the counter overnight – except on very warm nights – and it turns out thick and silky in the following morning; refrigerate for a creamier texture)

Serves 10-12

Banana and chocolate cake with coconut glaze for a lazy holiday

Tomorrow is a national holiday in Brazil and I really need some time off – the past few weeks have been intense workwise. For that reason, I bring you today a very short post, but with a delicious cake: the recipe is very straightforward too and can be done without any electric equipment – perfect for the lazy days ahead.

Banana and chocolate cake with coconut glaze
own recipe

Cake:
2 cups (280g) all purpose flour
¾ cup (67g) unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Dutch cocoa powder)
¾ teaspoon baking powder
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon table salt
2 cups (400g) granulated sugar
3 large eggs
¾ cup (180ml) canola oil
½ cup (130g) plain yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 ripe bananas, mashed with a fork

Glaze:
1 cup (140) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
2 tablespoons coconut milk
¼ cup (25) toasted coconut, for sprinkling over the cake

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Butter a 12-cup capacity Bundt pan.
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, eggs, oil, yogurt and vanilla until smooth. Mix in the bananas. Fold in the dry ingredients just until incorporated – do not overmix. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for about 50 minutes or until risen and a skewer inserted in the cake comes out clean. Cool in the pan over a wire rack for 20 minutes, then carefully unmold onto the rack and cool completely.

Glaze: place the sugar in a small bowl and gradually whisk in the coconut milk, mixing until you get a drizzable consistency – for a thicker glaze, use less milk. Pour over the cake and sprinkle with the toasted coconut.

Serves 10-12

Brazilian carrot cake waffles with chocolate glaze

One of the childhood memories I most cherish is the image of my mom in the kitchen baking cakes – she was a hell of a cook but was also famous for her sweet treats.

The two cakes I remember the most are the chocolate cake and the carrot cake – the Brazilian carrot cake, with chocolate glaze: oh, so delicious (there is a recipe here for those of you not familiar with it).

One day I got myself thinking about mom’s carrot cake, but I would not have time to bake it. Since I wanted instant gratification I decided to tweak the recipe ever so slightly and turned the cake into waffles – they were really good!

I have been making these sometimes ever since, for they are super quick and fuss free to make – instant gratification with a touch of nostalgia.

Brazilian carrot cake waffles with chocolate glaze
own creation

Waffles:
2 small carrots (200g/7oz), peeled and chopped
2 large eggs
½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
1/3 cup (80ml) canola oil
1 cup (140g) all purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt

Chocolate glaze:
1/3 cup (30g) unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
2 tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, room temperature
¼ cup (60ml) whole milk, room temperature

Waffles: place the carrots, eggs and oil in a blender and blitz until smooth. Transfer to a large bowl and whisk in the flour, baking powder and salt until a smooth batter forms.

Heat a waffle iron until very hot; lightly coat with nonstick spray – my waffle maker is nonstick, so I don’t coat it.
Working in batches, cook waffles until golden and cooked through. Transfer to a wire rack set inside a baking sheet and keep warm in oven until ready to serve.
Serve waffles with the chocolate glaze.

Chocolate glaze: place all the ingredients in a small saucepan and cook over high heat, whisking constantly, until mixture starts to boil. Cook, whisking constantly, for 2-3 minutes or until slightly thickened. Remove from the heat and set aside for 5 minutes – glaze will thicken a bit more as it cools. Serve over waffles.

Serves about 6

Honey bee cake - four years later

I have told you already how influenced by beautiful photos I am – if I see a stunning photo of a cake or a pasta dish I instantly add it to my mental to do list and cannot wait to make it. Sometimes that happens within the following weekends, sometimes it takes months, or even years – too many recipes, so little time. :)

This cake, from this gorgeous cookbook, have been on my mind for ages – the photo got stuck in my head when I purchased the book, a long time ago (2012, to be more precise). There were times I felt like baking it but had no honey in the pantry, other times I had no almonds at hand. So here we are, more than four years later, with a cake I could not wait to share with you: tender, perfumed, sweet, delicious – I hope you don’t wait as long as I did to make it.

Honey bee cake
slightly adapted from this beautiful cookbook

Cake:
2 ¼ cups (315g) all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon table salt
¾ cup + 2 tablespoons (200g) unsalted butter, room temperature
½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
1/3 cup (100g) honey
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
¾ cup (180ml) buttermilk, room temperature*

Glaze:
½ cup (150g) honey
3 tablespoons (41g) unsalted butter, room temperature
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt
½ cup (56g) sliced almonds, toasted and cooled

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Butter a 20cm (8in) round cake pan with a removable bottom or use a springform cake. Line the bottom with a disc of baking paper and butter the paper as well.

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar, honey and vanilla on low speed until blended. Increase the speed to high and mix until very light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Stop and scrape the bowl down often during the whole process. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the yolk.

With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the buttermilk in two parts, beginning and ending with the flour. Scrape the bowl after each addition and do not overmix.

Spread the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface. Rap the pan firmly on the counter to release any air bubbles. Bake in the center of the oven for 45 minutes or until cake is golden and risen and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean – it is OK if the surface cracks a little while baking.

When the cake is almost ready, make the glaze: place honey and butter in a small saucepan and heat over medium heat until combined, whisking to combine. Bring the mixture just barely to a simmer. Turn off the heat, whisk in the vanilla and the salt and set aside – it has to be still warm when you pour it over the cake.

When the cake is done, remove it from the oven and poke holes all over the cake with a skewer. Pour half of the glaze over the cake, evenly sprinkle the almonds over the cake, then pour the rest of the glaze over the almonds. Place the pan back in the oven for 5 more minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack. Carefully unmold the cake, peel off the paper and transfer to a serving plate.

Cake can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
*homemade buttermilk: to make 1 cup buttermilk place 1 tablespoon lemon juice in a 240ml-capacity measuring cup and complete with whole milk (room temperature). Wait 10 minutes for it to thicken, then use the whole mixture in your recipe

Serves 8-10

Eggnog biscotti

It might have taken me a while to get started with the Christmas series, but once I did I was perfuming my house with spices for hours on end – my husband took a look at the kitchen counter and said: “wow, you are really inspired!” :)

These biscotti are super simple to make and might even receive other flavors if you are not that crazy for nutmeg, maybe some citrus zest? I guess they would be amazing with orange and Cointreau, for instance. The original recipe called for eggnog in the glaze, so I adapted it a little to avoid using raw eggs in the biscotti.

Eggnog biscotti
slightly adapted from here

Biscotti:
2 cups (280g) all purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, room temperature
⅔ cup (133g) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon rum
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 eggs

For the glaze:
2 tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup (120g) icing sugar
generous pinch freshly grated nutmeg
about 1 tablespoon whole milk

Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F. Line a large baking sheet with baking paper.

Biscotti: in a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and creamy. Beat in vanilla, rum and nutmeg. Beat in eggs one at a time. On low speed, mix in the dry ingredients and mix just until a dough forms (mine was too soft to shape, I added 1 tablespoon of flour).
Divide dough in half and shape each half in a log about 15x5cm (6x2in). Place the logs about 7.5cm (3in) apart onto prepared sheets and bake for about 25 minutes or until golden. Remove from the oven and let stand for 20 minutes – leave the oven on. Line another large baking sheet with baking paper.
Slice biscotti into little less than 2cm (¾ in) slices. Place slices onto prepared sheet and bake fo 10 minutes. Turn all slices carefully, and bake for another 10 minutes. Cool completely on baking sheet over a wire rack.

Glaze: whisk butter, sugar and nutmeg until mixture starts to get creamy. Add milk gradually, whisking until drizzable consistency. Drizzle biscotti with glaze and set aside until glaze is dry, about 20 minutes.
Biscotti can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days – without the glaze they last even longer.

Makes about 25

Poppy seed cake and a certain horror movie

I am a coward when it comes to watching horror movies – I usually spend 2/3 of them with my eyes closed – but I am a kid from the 70s and therefore was more than curious to watch the remake of one of the movies that scared the bejeesus out of me back in the day.

I would never do such thing alone, so my husband was in charge of holding my hands whenever necessary – he also had memories of Carol Anne and the scary TV from 1982.

All I can say is that aside from a couple of jumps I wasn’t too frightened or impressed: the movie isn’t all that – maybe remakes aren’t as good as the originals or maybe I have seen too many of James Wan’s movies. :)

Choosing movies to watch might be tricky: one can find something really good or something not so great, and I believe it is the same with recipes: we can’t really tell they’re good until we’ve tried them. I made this cake because I had a couple of egg whites to spare – because of these wonderful cookies – and it turned out to be a great recipe: the cake is very light in texture and tender, perfect with a cup of tea or coffee.

Poppy seed cake
slightly adapted from 100 Best Cakes and Desserts

Cake:
125g unsalted butter, softened
finely grated zest of 1 lime
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 ¼ cups (250g) granulated sugar, divided use
1 egg yolk
250ml whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
250g all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
pinch of salt
3 tablespoons poppy seeds
4 egg whites

Icing:
½ cup (70g) icing sugar
1 tablespoon lime juice

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Butter and flour a 2-liter Bundt pan.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and poppy seeds. Set aside.
Using an electric mixer, beat the butter, lime zest, honey, lime juice and 1 cup (200g) of the sugar until creamy. Beat in the egg yolk, milk and vanilla – don’t worry if the mixture looks a little curdled at this stage. Add the dry ingredients and mix well.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Add the remaining ¼ cup (50g) sugar and beat until satiny. Gently fold the egg white mixture into the cake mixture, then pour into the prepared pan.
Bake for about 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool in the pan over a wire rack for 15 minutes, then carefully unmold onto rack and cool completely.

Glaze: sift the icing sugar in a bowl and gradually stir in the lime juice, mixing until you get a drizzable consistency. Set aside for 15 minutes.

Serves 8-10

Apple cake with maple glaze

As I sat here to write about this apple cake I automatically thought of the devil’s food loaf I posted a while ago, even though both cakes have nothing in common except for the fact that they’re both delicious. The same way I thought of Annie Bell when I wanted a chocolatey cake, I reached for Lisa Yockelson’s cookbook while thinking of a Bundt cake – she has great recipes that always turn delicious, even though I have to adapt them a bit for I don’t own a 15-cup capacity pan – or an 18-cup capacity pan, for that matter. :D

Math was never my strongest suit when I was at school but luckily I picked up enough of it to get me through life without much trouble (at least so far). ;) Today I bring you a wonderful apple cake adapted for an 8-cup capacity ring or Bundt cake – I hope you enjoy it.

Apple cake with maple glaze
slightly adapted from the delicious Baking Style: Art Craft Recipes

Cake:
2 cups (280g) all purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon table salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
pinch of ground ginger
1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
¼ cup (44g) light brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs
2/3 cup (160ml) canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled and coarsely grated

Glaze:
1/3 cup (80ml) maple syrup
2 tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, chopped
pinch of salt
½ tablespoon brandy or Calvados (optional)
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Butter and flour an 8-cup capacity ring or Bundt pan.
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. Set aside.
Using an electric mixer, beat eggs and sugars for 2 minutes or until thickened. With the mixer on medium speed, gradually add the oil in a thin, steady stream, then beat for 2 minutes. Beat in the vanilla and the apples. On low speed, add the sifted ingredients in two additions, scraping the sides of the bowl after each addition.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake the cake for about 50 minutes or until risen and golden and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes – in the meantime, make the glaze: place maple syrup, butter and salt in a small saucepan. Set over low heat and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Simmer for 1 minute, remove it from the heat and stir in the brandy or Calvados, if using. Simmer for another minute, then remove from the heat. Stir in the vanilla.

Carefully unmold the cake onto a rack and brush it generously with half the glaze, wait 10 minutes, then brush it with the remaining glaze. Cool completely.

Serves 8-10

Cinnamon madeleines with Marsala glaze and Jennifer Aniston

Weeks ago my husband and I were trying to find something good on TV and since there was nothing we ended up watching 10 minutes or so of Wanderlust – I say 10 minutes or so because it was all we could stand of such a lousy movie. We began talking about Jennifer Aniston’s movies, how awful they usually are and we wondered why she makes such poor role choices.

Days after that, I heard about Cake and all the buzz it’d generated, and then a Golden Globe and a SAG Award nominations became a reality, and for what I have seen and read about the movie an Oscar nomination is bound to happen.

In Jen’s defense, I watched The Good Girl back in the day and thought she was good in it – I even thought that from that moment on she would take that route when choosing roles to play, but unfortunately that never happened. She’s not part of my favorite actresses list, but I have always felt she had more to offer.

When I saw these cinnamon madeleines on the Telegraph website I thought they would be a nice addition to my Christmas series, but since I meant to turn them into a gift to a friend they needed something more – they were too plain, a Jennifer Aniston kind of madeleine, let’s say. I thought a glaze would make them extra special and because it’s Christmas a bit of alcohol wouldn’t hurt so I made a Marsala glaze for them, and it paired beautifully with the cinnamon flavor – the madeleines became a Jennifer Aniston post-Cake kind of madeleine. ;)

Cinnamon madeleines with Marsala glaze
slightly adapted from here

Madeleines:
70g unsalted butter, melted and cooled + a bit extra for greasing
2 eggs, room temperature
85g granulated sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
85g all purpose flour
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch of salt

Glaze:
½ cup (70g) icing sugar
2 teaspoons Marsala wine
water, if necessary

Madeleines: using an electric mixer, beat the eggs until pale and foamy and tripled in volume. Slowly add the sugar in a stream while continuing to whisk until it thickens. Whisk in the vanilla. Gently fold in the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon – try not to lose any of the air from the eggs. Fold in the butter. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Butter a 20-hole madeleine pan (each cavity holds ½ tablespoon of batter) with melted butter and refrigerate for 10 minutes. Fill each madeleine cup ¾ of the way up with the batter, then bake for about 10 minutes or until risen and golden. Remove from the pan immediately and cool on a wire rack.

Glaze: sift the icing sugar into a small bowl. Gradually add the Marsala and stir until you get a drizzable consistency (add water if necessary). Drizzle over cooled madeleines and set aside for 15-20 minutes.

Makes about 50

Crystallized ginger millet cookies with orange icing

One of the many things I loved about New York – I can pretty much say I loved everything about the city, both times I visited it – was going to the Whole Foods: there was so much variety, everything looked so good, so delicious, that I felt like bringing each and every ingredient home with me (too bad I couldn’t). :)

[if you ask me about the clothing stores on Fifth Avenue I probably won’t be of much help]. :)

There were tons of types of fruits, vegetables, chocolates, nuts – you name it. I was impressed by all the different varieties of flours: there were so many I stared at them for a good while (so I’m told by my husband). :D I did not think it was a good idea to stash pounds and pounds of flour in my luggage, so I brought home only a package of hazelnut meal, leaving all those amazing products behind. :(

Cut to a year after that and I was surprised to find Bob’s Red Mill’s products in a supermarket here in Sao Paulo – there aren’t as many different flours as I saw in NY, but there are some interesting ones available, and I brought home a package of millet flour, which I have used twice so far: timidly in the orange rosemary shortbread and more boldly in these ginger cookies.

The cookies turned out great, delicious and I cannot wait to use the millet flour in other baked goods – maybe in a cake next time?

Crystallized ginger millet cookies with orange icing
slightly adapted from the wonderful Supergrains: Cook Your Way to Great Health

Cookies:
½ cup (113g/1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup (115g) light brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup honey
1 cup (140g) millet flour
¾ cup (105g) all purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch of salt
75g crystallized ginger, finely chopped

Icing:
½ cup (70g) icing sugar
1 tablespoon orange juice

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with baking paper.

Using an electric mixer, cream butter, sugar and honey until pale and creamy. Sift the millet flour, all purpose flour, salt, ground ginger and cinnamon together, add to the butter mixture with the crystallized ginger and stir until well combined.
Roll 1 leveled tablespoon of dough into balls and place on prepare sheets, 5cm (2in) apart. Flatten the balls slightly. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the cookies are golden. Cool on the sheets for 5 minutes, then slide the paper with the cookies onto a wire rack. Cool completely.

Glaze: sift the icing sugar into a small bowl. Gradually add the juice and stir until you get a drizzable consistency (add water if necessary). Drizzle over cooled cookies and let it set for 15-20 minutes.

Makes about 35

Chocolate, coconut and banana cake

I love trying new things and I am sure I am not alone: when movies are concerned, for instance, writers and actors become directors, directors work as actors or make cameo appearances, and so forth. Change is good; variety is the spice of life.

While some are very successful working in different areas – I think Antonio Banderas should focus on directing more after I watched Crazy in Alabama, and let us not forget that Quentin Tarantino was a writer before working behind the cameras – I can’t say the same about others: I started watching Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s directorial debut the other day, but the movie was so awful I changed the channel after fifteen minutes of it. Poor Joseph, go back to acting, will you? :)

As I said, change is good – maybe except for JGL? ;) – not only in the movies but also in the kitchen: this moist and delicious cake, very chocolaty, is made without eggs and yet the result was really, really good, as the banana not only acts as the egg replacer but also adds a wonderful flavor to the cake.

I have no intention of giving up on eggs – I just love them too much – and that was not even the reason why I baked this cake: I just got hypnotized by the beautiful photo I had to make it, especially because the recipe comes from a cookbook that the more I cook from, the more I love it.

Chocolate, coconut and banana cake
cake slightly adapted from the marvelous A Modern Way to Eat: Over 200 Satisfying, Everyday Vegetarian Recipes (That Will Make You Feel Amazing), glaze from the wonderful Annie Bell's Baking Bible

Cake:
¾ cup (105g) all purpose flour
1 ½ cups (150g) almond meal
1 cup (95g) unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
pinch of salt
125g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
150ml maple syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
150ml coconut milk
50ml whole milk, room temperature
1 large ripe banana, mashed

Glaze:
100g dark chocolate – I used one with 53% cocoa solids
25g unsalted butter, room temperature
2 tablespoons whole milk, room temperature

Cake: preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F. Lightly butter a 20x7cm (8x3in) round cake pan with a removable bottom, line the bottom with a circle of baking paper and butter the paper as well.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, almond meal, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and slowly pour in the melted butter, maple syrup, vanilla, coconut milk, milk and banana. Mix well.
Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake for 35–40 minutes, until it feels firm to the touch and a skewer comes out clean. Don't worry if the cake has cracked on the top, as this will all get covered by the chocolate glaze.
Remove the cake from the oven and cool completely in the pan over a wire rack. Carefully unmold, peel off the paper and transfer to a serving plate.

Glaze: place chocolate and butter in a small heatproof bowl and set over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring until melted. Remove from the heat and whisk in the milk. Set aside for 5 minutes, then spread over the cooled cake.

Serves 8

Vanilla milk cake and goodbye, Linden and Holder

Days ago, I finished watching the last season of The Killing and I felt happy and sad at the same time: glad because the quality I’d seen throughout the show ever since the beginning wasn’t put aside at any moment of those last six episodes, the ending was a thing of beauty that made me shed loads of tears, and sad because now two of my favorite characters are gone for good – no more of Sarah’s beautiful red hair, no more Holderisms.

I know that TV shows cannot last forever and that it is better to finish with top notch episodes than to end with no quality whatsoever, but The Killing never really had a chance: if it wasn’t for Netflix there wouldn’t even be a fourth season, there would be no closure. Such a beautifully written, acted and directed show should have been on air for longer, but I’ve complained about that already.

As I prepared myself to say goodbye to Linder and Holder, I decided that a slice of cake would fit the occasion perfectly – I needed something sweet to calm my nerves down (after watching the episodes I knew it had been a smart decision, what a wonderful yet nerve-wracking season, my goodness). This simple cake, while delicious on its own with a cup of tea or coffee, was turned into a flavorsome dessert served with whipped cream and strawberries – I highly recommend it either way.

Vanilla milk cake
slightly from the beautiful and oh, so delicious Baking Style: Art Craft Recipes

Cake:
1 ½ cups (210g) all purpose flour
3 tablespoons (30g) corn starch
¼ teaspoon table salt
3 tablespoons poppy seeds
½ cup (1 stick/113g) unsalted butter, chopped
1 cup (240ml) whole milk
4 large eggs
1 ¾ cups (350g) granulated sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking powder

Icing:
1 cup (140g) icing sugar
1-2 tablespoons whole milk

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Generously butter a 10-cup Bundt pan, dust it with flour and remove the excess.
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, corn starch, and salt. Stir in the poppy seeds.
Place butter and milk in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until butter is melted and mixture begins to boil. In the meantime, using an electric mixer, beat the eggs at medium speed for 2 minutes. Gradually add the sugar, beating until a light mixture forms. Beat in the vanilla extract.
On low speed, add the dry ingredients in two additions, beating just until incorporated. With the mixer still on low speed, add the hot milk mixture gradually, then beat until completely incorporated (scrape the sides of the bowl). Immediately add the baking powder and mix it in.
Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for about 1 hour or until risen and golden and a skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool in the pan over a wire rack for 20 minutes, then carefully unmold onto the rack and cool completely.

Glaze: sift the icing sugar into a small bowl. Add the milk and stir until you get a drizzable consistency (add more milk if necessary). Drizzle over cooled cake. Set aside for 15 minutes.

Serves 10-12

Scandinavian cardamom cake with Frangelico glaze and the World Cup

The 2014 World Cup has begun and apparently it is already a hit. :)

I have been able to watch a couple of matches so far (but not as many as I would have liked to), Italy vs. England being my favorite up to this moment. I thought Argentina was going to crush Bosnia and Herzegovina, but the 2x1 score wasn’t fair: the Argentinian team wasn’t all that good, a draw would have been a better reflect of what the game really was.

There are people from all around the world walking the streets of my country as I type, and I hope they have a lovely time here. Because of the multicultural days we’ve been having, I bring you a multicultural recipe: a Scandinavian cake – packed with cardamom and cinnamon, obviously – with a Frangelico glaze, a nod to my Italian heritage, even though I feel my German blood a lot stronger most of the time, like this morning, when I saw this. :D

Scandinavian cardamom cake with Frangelico glaze
cake slightly adapted from the delicious World Class Cakes: 250 Classic Recipes from Boston Cream Pie to Madeleines and Muffins

Cake:
½ cup (113g/1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 ¼ cups (315g) all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground cardamom (if using pre -round cardamom that amount might be too much)
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ cup (120ml) sour cream*

Glaze:
100g icing sugar
½ tablespoon Frangelico
1 tablespoon whole milk (more if necessary)

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Butter a 9-cup capacity Bundt pan (I used a 10-cup capacity pan).
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, cardamom and cinnamon.
Using an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and scrape the sides of the bowl after each addition. Beat in the vanilla.
On low speed, beat in the dry ingredients in three additions, alternating with the sour cream (start and end with the dry ingredients). Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the surface. Bake for about 45 minutes or until risen and golden and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan over a wire rack for 20 minutes, then carefully unmold onto the rack and cool completely.

Glaze: sift the icing sugar into a small bowl. Add the Frangelico e 1 tablespoon of the milk, stir until you get a drizzable consistency (add more milk if necessary). Drizzle over cooled cake. Set aside for 15 minutes.

* homemade sour cream: to make 1 cup of sour cream, mix 1 cup (240ml) heavy cream with 2-3 teaspoons lemon juice in a bowl. Whisk until it starts to thicken. Cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for 1 hour or until thicker (I usually leave mine on the counter overnight – except on very warm nights – and it turns out thick and silky in the following morning; refrigerate for a creamier texture)

Serves 10-12

Marmalade cake and new things

Jam is something I always have around, but I have a special kind of love for marmalade, so much it has become a staple at my house: its tangy bitterness is great on toast and/or whole wheat bread and it goes well in baking, too – delicious in cake, bar or tart form.

I used to think marmalade was way too bitter, but learned to appreciate it with time – just as I did with beer. Now, it’s really hard for me not to gobble up a spoonful of marmalade while separating ingredients for a baking session. :D

This very easy to make and very tasty cake comes from here – I had never heard of Rosemary Shrager before and the cookbook was a very nice surprise: everything looks wonderful and I have bookmarked several recipes to try. I’d also never heard of David Michôd or Michaël R. Roskam before the excellent Animal Kingdom and Bullhead and now I cannot wait for The Rover and The Drop – new things can be good, people. :)

Marmalade cake
slightly adapted from the delicious Rosemary Shrager's Bakes, Cakes & Puddings

Cake:
250g all purpose flour
1 ¾ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
130g unsalted butter, softened
130g granulated sugar
finely grated zest of 1 orange
3 eggs
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
50ml whole milk, room temperature
150g marmalade

Glaze:
¾ cup (105g) confectioners’ sugar
1-2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

Cake: preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Lightly butter a 20cm (8in) square cake pan, line the bottom with baking paper and butter the paper as well.
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Using an electric mixer, cream butter, sugar and orange zest until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally. Beat in the vanilla and the milk.
Fold in the marmalade (mixture might look curdled), followed by the sifted ingredients. Mix until combined. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for about 40 minutes or until golden and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely in the pan over a wire rack, then carefully unmold, remove the paper and place onto the rack.

Glaze: sift the confectioners’ sugar into a small bowl and gradually add the juice, mixing until you get a drizzable consistency. Pour the glaze over the cake and let it set for 20 minutes.

Makes 16 squares

Orange sour cream Bundt cake, the Internet and high-waisted pants

Days ago, a friend of mine asked the following question on Facebook: “how was your life before the Internet”? I did not answer but have thought about it ever since. I love the Internet and not a day goes by without me using it, even if it is for 5 minutes: it’s great not having to go to the bank to pay a bill, being able to buy movie tickets ahead of time (no lines!), watching movies and TV shows that take forever to arrive here in Brazil (if they arrive at all), and well, I love writing a blog, too. :D

Of course there are horrendous things online, too, but that’s life, isn’t it? There are the good things and the bad things – it’s human nature, I guess (unfortunately).

I am unashamedly curious, so the Internet is a really useful tool; for instance, while I watched Her the other day I kept thinking about the high-waisted pants worn by the male characters of the movie – I was sure they meant something, and a couple of clicks helped me find out all about it (Spike Jonze’s said that the pants “'feel kinda like you're being hugged", and that has everything to do with the movie theme, which made me love it even more). <3

The Internet is also very helpful when I need to substitute ingredients: ages ago I read somewhere how to make sour cream at home (since not until recently was the product available here in Brazil). I’ve been using that precious hint in recipes for years now, such as the delicious, moist and irresistible orange cake you see on the photo – if you like cakes drenched in syrup that get even tastier the day after they are baked this recipe is for you (and if you’re a citrus freak like me, you’ll love it, too). :D


Orange sour cream Bundt cake
slightly adapted from here

Cake:
1 cup (226g/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 ¼ cups (250g) granulated sugar, divided use
4 eggs, separated
finely grated zest of 2 large oranges
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups (280g) all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
¼ teaspoon table salt
1 ½ cups sour cream*

Syrup:
¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
¼ cup (60ml) orange juice
2 tablespoons Cointreau or other orange-flavored liqueur

Glaze:
¾ cup (105g) icing sugar
3-4 teaspoons freshly squeezed orange juice

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Butter and flour a 10-cup capacity Bundt or tube pan.
Using an electric mixer, beat butter with 1 cup (200g) of the sugar until light and fluffy; beat in egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally. Beat in orange zest and vanilla.
In separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; on low speed, add to the butter mixture alternately with sour cream, making 3 additions of dry ingredients and 2 of sour cream. In separate bowl and with clean beaters, beat egg whites until frothy; gradually beat in remaining ¼ cup (50g) sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, until stiff peaks form. Fold one-third into batter; fold in remainder. Scrape into prepared pan; smooth top.
Bake in center of the oven until risen and golden and a skewer inserted in center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Let cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Carefully turn out onto rack.

While the cake cools in the pan, make the syrup: in small saucepan, bring sugar, orange juice and liqueur to boil over medium heat; reduce heat to low and simmer until reduced to 1/3 cup (80ml), 3-4 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes. Brush over warm cake. Let cool.

Glaze: in a small bowl, sift the icing sugar, then gradually add the juice, mixing until pourable (add a little more juice if necessary). Slowly pour over cooled cake. Let stand until glaze is dry, about 30 minutes.

*homemade sour cream: to make 1 cup of sour cream, mix 1 cup (240ml) heavy cream with 2-3 teaspoons lemon juice in a bowl. Whisk until it starts to thicken. Cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for 1 hour or until thicker (I usually leave mine on the counter overnight – except on very warm nights – and it turns out thick and silky in the following morning; refrigerate for a creamier texture)

Serves 10-12

Lager and lime cake and tastes changing through time

I find it fascinating how our taste changes with time – I was listening to the radio yesterday when “I Stay Away” started playing, a song I hadn’t heard in ages, and then I thought of how Alice in Chains was my favorite #2 band some good 18 years ago (The Smiths always have and will always be #1). Today, except for 2-3 songs, I can’t listen to those CDs anymore because people screaming drives me crazy, I just can’t stand someone yelling instead of singing (I told you I was getting old).

In my early twenties I rarely drank and I didn’t understand how people could like beer – to me it was something too bitter. In my late twenties, however, I started enjoying a glass or two of Prosecco from time to time and beer no longer tasted bitter – ice cold beer actually tasted great on a hot summer day. I’m no connoisseur and my favorite beer is Stella Artois (though I will have a sip of Guinness every now and then), and when I saw this recipe on Olive magazine I immediately wanted to try it – pairing beer and citrus in cake form seemed an excellent idea after I’d tried the beverage with chocolate with great results.

The original recipe was for a layer cake sandwiched and iced with lager buttercream – with the Sahara temperatures we’ve been having here I thought that buttercream was overkill, so I skipped it and baked the cake in a Bundt pan (and me being me I amped the amount of lime zest, obviously). :D The cake turned out extremely tender – like the ones that usually have sour cream or yogurt in their batter – with a nice hint of lime; you can’t actually taste the beer in the cake but you feel there is something else going on other than the citrus flavor – I thought it was delicious.

Lager and lime cake
slightly adapted from the delicious Olive magazine

Cake:
225g all purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
pinch of salt
100g unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
finely grated zest of 2 limes
2 large eggs
200ml lager (a light one – I used Stella Artois)
juice of ½ the lime

Glaze:
½ cup (70g) confectioners’ sugar
about 2 teaspoons lime juice

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F.Butter and flour an 8-cup capacity Bundt pan.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Using an electric mixer, cream butter, sugar and lime zest until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally. Beat in the vanilla.
On low speed, add the dry ingredients in three additions alternating with the lager in two additions (begin and end with the dry ingredients). Fold in the lime juice.
Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the surface. Bake for about 35 minutes or until golden and risen and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan over a wire rack for 15 minutes, then carefully unmold onto the rack and cool completely.

Glaze: sift the confectioners’ sugar into a small bowl, gradually add the lime juice and whisk until drizzable. Drizzle over the cooled cake and let the glaze set for 15 minutes.

Serves 8-10

White chocolate and hazelnut pound cake and "Ray Donovan"

Since Girls wasn’t bringing any joy to my days – much to the opposite – I decided to dedicate my precious time to a different TV show (aside from The Blacklist, which I watch with the hubby), and being a dark-drama-kind-of-gal I went for Ray Donovan; I’m halfway through the season and loving every minute of it – the performances are outstanding (how great are Liev Schreiber, Paula Malcomson and Jon Voight?) and the writing is really good, too. I haven’t read much about the show to avoid spoilers but it was nice to know that there is a second season coming next year – it’s so frustrating to get hooked on a TV show only to find out later it’s been cancelled. :S

Because the episodes of Ray Donovan are one-hour long there is plenty of time for a cake to be baked: therefore, I mixed this batter (which took me hardly any time, even with the melting of the chocolate), placed it in the oven and sat down to watch the show; being a large cake, once inverted onto the wire rack it would need a good hour to cool (or even more than that), and that was the perfect excuse for a TV junkie like me to watch another episode in a row. :D

White chocolate and hazelnut pound cake
slightly adapted from the delicious Better Homes and Gardens Baking: More than 350 Recipes Plus Tips and Techniques

Cake:
3 cups (420g) all-purpose flour
¼ cup (20g) hazelnut meal
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon table salt
1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups (400g) granulated sugar*
6 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
112g (4oz) white chocolate, melted and cooled
1 cup sour cream**

Glaze:
112g (4oz) white chocolate, chopped
1 teaspoon canola oil

Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F. Butter and flour a 12-cup capacity Bundt pan.
In a medium bowl stir together flour, hazelnut meal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In a very large mixing bowl cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating about 1 minute after each addition and scraping sides of bowl frequently. Add vanilla and the melted white chocolate; beat just until combined. Alternately add flour mixture and the sour cream to butter mixture, beating on low after each addition just until combined. Do not overmix. Pour batter into the prepared pan, spreading evenly. Bake for 55-60 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Remove cake from pan; cool thoroughly on wire rack.
Glaze: combine chocolate and oil in a small bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, mixing until melted. Spoon over the cooled cake, then set aside to set.

The cake can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

* the cake turned out delicious, but I found it a bit too sweet – I’d cut down 30g of the sugar if baking it again

** homemade sour cream: to make 1 cup of sour cream, mix 1 cup (240ml) heavy cream with 2-3 teaspoons lemon juice in a bowl. Whisk until it starts to thicken. Cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for 1 hour or until thicker (I usually leave mine on the counter overnight – except on very warm nights – and it turns out thick and silky in the following morning; refrigerate for a creamier texture)

Serves 14-16

Cornmeal cake with passion fruit glaze and a childhood memory

Days ago, while remembering my childhood and my beginning as a cook, I thought of the first cake I ever made and it occurred to me that I hadn’t made it in years. Many years. It was a bolo de fubá, a cake made with corn flour (not corn starch), a sort of very fine cornmeal – I instantly craved that cake but no longer had the recipe. Luckily, I knew exactly where to find a great recipe for it: my lovely friend Clarice adores bolo de fubá and she has plenty of recipes on her beautiful blog. With her help, I picked one and it was absolutely delicious.

I don’t know how difficult it would be for people outside Brazil to find corn flour, but I believe that in the U.S. it might be found since Kim Boyce has some recipes with the ingredient on her amazing "Good to the Grain".

Since cornmeal cakes are great paired with citrus flavors I decided to drizzle my bolo de fubá with a passion fruit glaze – it was a very tasty addition, but the cake is equally wonderful without it, too.

Cornmeal cake with passion fruit glaze
slightly adapted from my dear friend Clarice

Cake:
1 cup (140g) all purpose flour
1 cup (150g) corn flour (not corn starch)
1 rounded tablespoon baking powder
pinch of salt
4 large eggs
1 ½ cups (300g) granulated sugar
¾ cup (180ml) canola oil
1 cup (240ml) boiling whole milk

Glaze:
½ cup (70g) confectioners’ sugar
1-2 tablespoons passion fruit juice

Cake: preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Butter and flour a 12-cup capacity Bundt pan (the one I used holds 10 cups and I had to bake the excess batter in a 1-cup capacity small pan).
In a medium bowl, sift together the all purpose flour, corn flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
Using an electric mixer with the whisk attachment, whisk the eggs for a couple of minutes. Gradually add the sugar, whisking, then whisk until thick and glossy. Gradually add the oil, whisking. Turn off the mixer, then sift the dry ingredients once again directly onto the egg mixture. Fold in gently with a spatula, then fold in the milk – the batter will be very thin. Pour into the prepared pan and tap the sides of the pan with your hands to remove any air bubbles. Bake for about 50 minutes or until golden and risen and a skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool in the pan over a wire rack for 10 minute, then carefully unmold onto the rack and cool completely.

Glaze: sift the confectioners’ sugar into a small bowl and add the juice, stirring, until you get the desired consistency. Pour over the cooled cake.

Serves 10-12

Caramel cake and my bookshelf is back

I have told you before about my love for simple cakes: they’re good on their own, with a cup of tea in the winter or a glass of cold milk in warm days, and with the help of some poached fruit and vanilla ice cream or whipped cream they can be transformed into delicious desserts.

This is a very simple cake – just as I like it – but the caramel glaze turns it into something even more delicious: it might not look stunning but it does taste great. You’ll be tempted to lick the spoon after pouring the glaze over the cake, but wait a couple of minutes – trust me on this. :D

Oh, and my bookshelf has been reinstated by Blogger – they said they’d analyze my case in two business days but it took them sixteen. Pretty close, huh? #not

Caramel cake
from the delicious Gourmet Today: More than 1000 All-New Recipes for the Contemporary Kitchen

Cake:
2 cups + 2 tablespoons sifted cake flour (or 210g all purpose flour + 40g corn starch)
1 teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon table salt
½ cup (113g/1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup (240ml) well-shaken buttermilk*

Caramel glaze:
1 cup (240ml) heavy cream
½ cup (88g) packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Cake: preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F with rack in middle. Butter a 20cm (8in) square cake pan and line with a square of parchment paper, then butter parchment.
Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy, then beat in vanilla. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. At low speed, beat in buttermilk until just combined (mixture may look curdled). Add flour mixture in 3 batches, mixing until each addition is just incorporated.
Spread batter evenly in cake pan, then rap pan on counter several times to eliminate air bubbles (I forgot to do that). Bake until golden and a wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 35-40 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack 10 minutes, then run a knife around edge of pan. Invert onto rack and discard parchment, then cool completely.

Glaze: bring cream, brown sugar, corn syrup, and a pinch of salt to a boil in a large heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Boil until glaze registers 98 to 100°C (210 to 212°F) on thermometer, 12 to 14 minutes, then stir in vanilla.
Put rack with cake in a shallow baking pan and pour hot glaze over top of cake, allowing it to run down sides. Cool until glaze is set, about 30 minutes.

* homemade buttermilk: to make 1 cup buttermilk place 1 tablespoon lemon juice in a 240ml-capacity measuring cup and complete with whole milk (room temperature). Wait 10 minutes for it to thicken slightly, then use the whole mixture in your recipe

Serves 8-10 – I made the exact cake recipe above using a round 20cm (8in) cake pan with tall sides; it was my second time making this cake and the first time there was a lot of glaze left, so I halved the recipe above and the mixture took almost no time at all to get to the temperature described on the recipe