Dedicated to my Mom and to Lucile F. Locher Mishler “Mum”, her maternal grandmother.

Traditional Fruitcake

Ingredients:
2 cups mixed Dried Fruits, minced
1 cup Rum
1 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Nutmeg
1 tsp Ginger
3/4 cup Granulated Sugar
3/4 cup Brown Sugar
5 Eggs
3 Tbsp Canola Oil
1/4 cup Rum
1 Tbsp Lemon Zest
1 Tbsp Orange Zest
1/2 cup Pecans, chopped
1 cup Pecans, whole
1 cup Candied Red Cherries
1 cup Candied Green Cherries
1 cup Candied Pineapple

Directions:

• Soak the minced Dried Fruits in 1 cup of Rum overnight.
• Preheat the Oven to 300°F.
• Sift together the Flour, Baking Powder, Salt, and Spices into a large bowl.
• In a second bowl cream the Eggs with the Sugars.
• Whisk in the Olive Oil and 1/4 cup Dark Rum.
• Slowly incorporate into the Flour mixture.
• Fold in the Dried Fruits, Zest, and 1/2 cup of crushed Pecans.
• Grease a bunt pan well.
• Pour mixture into the bunt pan, and lightly tap it against the counter.
• Decorate with the Candied Fruits and whole Pecans.
• Bake on the middle rack for about 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in it comes out clean.

NOTES: Fruitcake has always been one of my favorite deserts.  My mom tells me about how when she grew up her grandmother “Mum” used to make Fruitcake in early fall, and stick it in cheesecloth a tin.  Every couple weeks she’d pour Port on top of it.  By Christmas it was amazing.  I’m still nervous about keeping a cake in a tin and pouring alcohol on it for over a month…so here’s my version with a less pungent Rum.

Mixed Dried Fruit can include Cranberries, Raisins, Dates, Figs, Apricots, Apples, Pears, Pruns, etc.

Ahhh Thanksgiving. The day of huge turkey feasts complete with all the trimmings. And what Thanksgiving meal is complete without the obligatory pumpkin dessert? Certainly not this one! Instead of the traditional pumpkin pie, I decided to break in my (relatively) new springform pan (that I got for the low low price of $4! ) and go with a pumpkin cheesecake.

I must admit, this was my first cheesecake using a springform pan. Usually when I make cheesecakes I take the easy route and pour the filling into those pre-made graham cracker crusts. I know, it’s cheating, but all is fair when it comes to cheesecake.

Anyways, I found this recipe at myrecipes.com. It’s a great site that features recipes from a bunch of food magazines like Cooking Light and Southern Living to name a few. You can find a recipe for just about anything there, and a lot of them are tried and true, complete with ratings and commentary and everything!

This cheesecake was simply scrumptious. It was super creamy but not too heavy on the tummy, and has a nice full pumpkin flavor! I was also very pleasantly surprised with the crust! This was my first official try making the crust for a cheesecake, and I couldn’t have asked for a simpler or tastier crust.

The recipe is pretty darn simple, if I do say so myself! While the recipe does call for at least 8 hours of chilling, I found that it was perfectly good after about 6 to 7 hours. To save some of the hassle of having to wake up and make cheesecake, I went ahead and made the batter the night before and let it chill in the fridge overnight. This made for some super fast cake makins and I found no negative side effects!

I did have to watch the time, though. Even though I took it out a tad early, my cheesecake still ended up a little toasty. Still tasty though!

Pumpkin Cheesecake - from Cooking Light via myrecipes.com
Crust:
56 (8oz.) reduced fat vanilla wafers
1 T. butter or stick margarine, melted
Cheesecake:
3-8oz. blocks fat free cream cheese, softened
2-8oz. blocks 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened
½ c. granulated sugar
½ c. packed brown sugar
3 T. all purpose flour
1 t. ground cinnamon
½ t. ground nutmeg
½ t. ground ginger
¼ t. salt
dash of allspice
2 t. vanilla extract
4 large eggs
15oz. can pumpkin

• Preheat oven to 400F. To prepare crust, place wafers in a food processor; pulse 2 to 3 times or until finely ground. Add butter; pulse 10 times or until mixture resembles coarse meal. Firmly press mixture into bottom of a 9 inch springform pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400 for 10 minutes; cool on a wire rack.
• Reduce oven temp to 325F.
• To prepare filling, beat cheeses with a mixer at high speed until smooth. Add the granulated sugar and next 8 ingredients (through vanilla), beating well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add pumpkin. Beat well.
• Pour cheese mixture into prepared crust; bake at 325F for 1 1/2 hours or until almost set (when the center barely moves when the pan is touched). Remove cheesecake from oven; run a knife around the outside edge. Cool to room temperature; cover and chill at least 8 hours.

I would definitely consider this a Thanksgiving day success story! Maybe next year I’ll even tackle the turkey!

-Morgan K.

I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving holiday yesterday, filled with family and friends, and of course lots of delicious food. Based on my own experience, I suspect that you stuffed yourselves, although hopefully not as much as I did! But, however full I felt last night (and still this morning!), I always enjoy looking at more food, so here is a sample of what I made and ate last night.

For our feast, I made a Pumpkin Cheesecake and topped it with a rich Whipped Coconut Creme. It tasted quite delicious, although definitely more like a pumpkin pie than a cheesecake. I think if I had used a Vitamix or a more powerful food processor, I could have gotten the filling to have a more even consistency (like the one in the original recipe’s picture, here), but nonetheless it tasted great. It had a wonderful pumpkin taste, and the pecans in the crust complemented the fall flavors very nicely. We had a little bit of extra crust dough that I baked separately, and it ended up thick and tasty as a simple shortbread-like cookie on it’s own. The coconut creme was from a recipe in Sweet Freedom, for a sugar-free, gluten-free, soy-free vegan whipped cream. Dolloped on top of the pie, it was rich, sweet, and certainly very creamy, but not as light and fluffy as whipped cream should be. Our consensus was that it would have been very good as a fruit tart filling, and next time I make one I will definitely use this recipe!

photo by PetitPlat
visit her etsy store!

No, not on your face! What do you think this is, the state fair?! This isn’t a real cake, champ — it’s another mindblowing miniature by Stéphanie Kilgast, whose Flickrstream is now also full of tantalizing Christmas foods. Yum!

Canadian Maple Syrup Cheese Tart

I’m sorry.

I’m sorry for ignoring you. I’m sorry for avoiding you. I’m sorry. 

You are not just a pretty face. Underneath that beautiful golden layer, you are white, pure. Yet you are anything but. Evil, that’s what you are.

You stole my heart with your cheesiness and the light maple syrup undertones. You outshone the crunchy tart base you sat on. You made me forget the cheese-hater in me.

Nothing can move your heart though. Having sat in the freezer, your’s has hardened, firmed. Just like ice-cream.

You have turned me into a cheese tart convert. I really regret ignoring you before.

Forgive me, please?

I could almost kick myself in the face (if that was possible) for not buying more. 

Gimme gimme, gimme, gimme gimme more~

Anyway, did I mention that today was mummy’s growing-one-more-year-older (haha!) day? Yes, her birthday! This year, she made her own birthday cake but unfortunately, the first sponge was a failure. So, I convinced her to let me have it for my own “fun” purposes.

I took it, and crumbled it to pieces. Of course, I dumped the crumbs into a box. No, don’t be shocked. It’s all part of my “master plan”. Which was to turn them into… 

Truffles! And why not? Truffles have always been bakers’ way to salvage their failed cakes or extras. It’s a very simple process but I think it takes skill to coat the balls with a thin layer of chocolate only. I still have more to work on, though.

Form the cake crumbs, butter, sugar and raisins into balls and refrigerate. Some people add in rum too.

Melt your chocolate.

Get ready your coatings. There’s the standard cocoa powder which I find much easier to coat the balls with.

There’s chocolate sprinkles.

And for those who like an explosion of colours, there’s hundreds and thousands. But to make the colour noticeable, you will really need hundreds and thousands and hundred thousands. The chocolate can sometimes cover up the sprinkles, see?

When the balls are chilled for about an hour or so, they can then be dipped into the melted chocolate then rolled in the coating. You can use a satay stick to poke it then do the dipping and coating but I used my fingers! After doing so, refrigerate again for the chocolate to firm up before eating.

Tadaa~!

For mummy’s birthday lunch, my grandparents and my family went to Tampopo at Liang Court. We each ordered our own main dish and my father, who always orders too much, went on to order more side dishes.

This is just tofu with wagyu mince sauce but it costs more than $10 for such a small portion!

I believe this is deep fried tuna from the seasonal menu. I didn’t try this.

A grilled fish item from the seasonal menu as well.

My main course was a chirashi don with 11 kinds of fish.

Disappointing. Today’s sashimi weren’t fresh at all and the uni looks especially disgusting and gloopy. The rice was as good as usual, though. Slightly sweet and sticky.

We took a little walk in Medi-ya supermarket after lunch. There’s a Hokkaido fair going on but its a small scale one. Not like Isetan’s. Ooh, I can’t wait for next year’s Isetan Hokkaido fair! 

What’s a visit to Liang Court without Tampopo Deli? The rest of my family had a cream puff each…

While I had the matcha chiffon.

I love the cream puff. I really do. But I have been eating the same thing every time I come to Tampopo Deli. It’s getting boring. That’s why I decided on the matcha chiffon.

Tampopo Deli’s chiffons have a higher flour to liquid ratio, which makes them not as soft as say, Bengawan Solo’s pandan chiffon. This makes the cakes easier to frost. 

What’s surprising about this chiffon is that in the middle, there were no red beans. Instead, there were slices of red juicy strawberries. The red beans, however, were embedded in the the cake itself. The matcha taste was distinct and the whipped cream was uber milky. Me likey likey.

I was still quite full from lunch even when dinner time rolled around. So I decided to have a bowl of cereal! I missed it so much though I have only gone one day without it! I don’t think you need a picture on that, do you?

I feel like going to Patisserie Glace now to get more of their cheese tarts! I wonder what flavours should I get? 

Salome & David’s wedding was last weekend but the cake has been many weeks in the making! Thankfully Salome wanted a traditional fruit cake which meant it could be made weeks in advance and there would be no last minute rush with a chocolate cake which has become popular for weddings lately. We added a twist to the cake by adding 70% chocolate pieces to the fruit mixture that gave it a real decadent taste which is of course imperative for a wedding.

The recipe below was tripled and made enough to fit a 4 inch, 7 inch and 10 inch cake tin (sorry it was an old fashioned cake tin hire shop who only had inches printed on the bottom of these well used and loved tins).

The theme for their wedding was black and red and the request was for a simple decoration of red roses and black ribbon. I didn’t realise at first how long it would actually take to make the sugar roses and I am thankful I started the week before! think I can make sugar roses in my sleep now! We found a really cute embossing tool (for scrap booking) which we decided would offer a romantic touch to the middle layer of the cake.

Ingredients

• 2 cup dried sultanas
• 1 cup dried raisins
• 1 cup dried currants
• 1 cup chopped dried figs
• 1 cup chopped prunes
• 100g 70% chocolate, chopped small
• 1 cup almonds, chopped
• 1 cup of Brandy
• zest & juice of one orange
• 300g butter, softened
• 1.25 cups brown sugar
• 4 eggs
• 2. 25 cups of SR Flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ginger

Method

1. Place all the fruit and nuts in a bowl and pour over the brandy, orange juice and zest  and allow to soak over night.
2. Preheat the oven to 140 degrees centigrade.
3. Grease and line the cake tin with greaseproof paper, allowing the greaseproof paper to come up the sides 4 centimetres higher than the cake tin.
4. Beat the sugar and butter together until light and fluffy.
5. Add one egg at a time and beat the mixture in between each addition.
6. Add the flour, chocolate and spices to the fruit and mix together, ensuring all the fruit is evenly coated.
7. Add the butter mixture to the fruit and flour and mix together till well combined.
8. Spoon mixture into cake tin then cover with a circle of greaseproof paper to protect the top from going too brown.
9. Bake for 2 hours, 15 minutes and then check the cake with a skewer. If the skewer does not come out clean bake for a further 10 minutes and test again. repeat process until baked through.
10. Allow to cool in the tin to retain the moisture.
11. Wrap in tin foil, glad wrap or a cake tin until ready to ice or serve.

Salome’s mum did a beautiful job of the table decorations, the red look very romantic and stunning.

I must confess that, along with Thanksgiving, Christmas dinner is my favorite meal to plan, cook and serve! Why? Because there are very few occasions during the year when I can take time off to cook such a feast for family and friends. I relish every moment of it.

And every year my challenge is to come up with a dessert that is nothing short of stunning! This year I set my sights on creating a chocolate layer cake. A courageous act for sure, since layer cakes and icings are not only totally foreign to me, but very intimidating to boot.

So I decided to start testing recipes early on in the fall. My first attempt was so disastrous that I put the monstrosity I’d created in my spare refrigerator and forgot about it for 5 days… My second attempt was definitely an improvement, but the white-chocolate icing was way too sweet for my taste and the cake itself a bit too heavy… still.

I wasn’t about to give up, though. I wanted not just any chocolate layer cake. I wanted to make the lightest, moistest, most intensely-chocolaty-cake-ever… I wanted a showstopper!

Two more attempts finally delivered the cake I had envisioned. I turned to my French background yet again. A dark chocolate génoise (sponge cake) brushed with a little coffee and Cognac makes the four layers. A milk chocolate mousse hugs the layers together and a white-chocolate mousse gently envelops the whole cake. A last tease: bittersweet chocolate curls dot the cake and add yet another layer of chocolaty flavor.

A holiday feast demands a dazzling dessert – one that tastes as delicious as it looks.

Viviane’s tip: Like all good things, this cake will take some time to bake and assemble. Fortunately, the chocolate génoise can be made one day ahead and the cake assembled 4 to 6 hours before serving. A little bit of planning will be necessary, but it’s well worth the effort… and if I can make this cake, then I would say anybody can, too!

Note: I chose Callebaut chocolates for this cake. They are outstanding baking chocolates with smooth texture and beautiful flavors. Callebaut chocolates are available in bulk at Whole Foods and gourmet food stores.

Chocolate Layer-Mousse Cake with Cognac and Bittersweet Chocolate Curls

makes 1 large cake – serves 12

For the cakes
1 1/4 cups unbleached white flour
1 cup Dutch process cocoa – sifted
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 pinch sea salt
8 large eggs – at room temperature
1 1/2 cups organic sugar
4 tablespoons unsweetened butter – melted and slightly cooled

1 cup strong coffee – cooled to room temperature
1/3 cup Cognac

2 – 9” round non-stick cake molds – lightly buttered and floured

For the milk chocolate mousse
9 oz milk chocolate – coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon chocolate liqueur
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the white chocolate frosting
12 oz milk chocolate – coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups heavy cream

2 oz bittersweet chocolate, as garnish

Preheat oven to 375°F.
Step 1: Place the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Whisk until well blended.
Step 2: Place the eggs in the bowl of an electric mixer. Whisk at high speed until very pale, thick and ribbony (about 2 minutes). Slowly add the sugar and continue whisking at high speed until soft peaks form, another minute.
Step 3: Add half the flour/cocoa mixture to the whipped eggs. Fold in carefully. Add the melted butter and fold in carefully. Fold in the remaining flour/cocoa mixture, taking care not to overmix.
Step 4: Divide the batter equally into the prepared molds. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes until the cakes have risen and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool to room temperature before un-molding.
Cook’s note: The cakes can be prepared up to 24 hours ahead. Cool to room temperature, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before assembling the cake.
Step 5: To make the milk chocolate mousse: Place the chocolate pieces in a double boiler. Melt the chocolate over simmering water, stirring constantly until smooth. Remove from heat and let cool until just warm to the touch.
Step 6: Place the heavy cream, chocolate liqueur and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer. Whip at medium speed until thick, taking care not to overbeat or it will turn to butter. Pour the melted milk chocolate into the whipped cream and fold until well blended. Transfer to a container, cover and refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours.
Step 7: To make the white chocolate frosting: Place the white chocolate pieces in a double boiler. Melt the chocolate over simmering water, stirring constantly until smooth. Remove from heat and let cool until just warm to the touch.
Step 8: Place the heavy cream in the bowl of an electric mixer. Whip at medium speed until thick, taking care not to overbeat or it will turn to butter. Pour the melted white chocolate into the whipped cream and fold until well blended. Transfer to a container, cover and refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours.
Step 9: To assemble the cake: Un-mold the chocolate cakes and cut in 4 even layers, about 1″ thick (I use a cake leveler, it makes the job infinitely easier!). Place one layer of cake in the center of a serving platter. Line the rim of the platter with plastic wrap (this will keep the rim clean as you apply the frosting). Using a pastry brush, soak the cake with one quarter of the coffee and Cognac. Top with a third of the milk chocolate mousse and spread it evenly over the whole surface of the cake. Top with another layer of the chocolate cake. Repeat soaking with the coffee and Cognac, and spreading the milk chocolate mousse 2 more times until you have 3 layers. Top with the last layer of chocolate cake and soak with the remaining coffee and Cognac. Finish by applying the white chocolate frosting, first on the top, then on the sides. Save a little frosting for piping if desired: pipe a rim around the top edge. Remove the plastic wrap lining the platter and pipe the remaining frosting around the base of the cake. Loosely cover the cake with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before serving.
Step 10: When ready to serve, shave the bittersweet chocolate using a vegetable hand peeler over the cake and around the rim of the platter.

© 2009 viviane bauquet farre  – food & style NY LLC

Here’s a few shots of Sweet Element’s latest cake that was raffled off at a charity event last weekend.  Since our focus is on both cake & chocolate, I thought it would be a nice idea to combine the two mediums in a “chocolate box” cake.  And while I appreciate the simple chocolate sheen of well tempered bon-bons, I thought painting the chocolates as jewels with a little bit of luster dust would add a bit of elegance to this cake.  As a final touch, three gumpaste roses were added as adornment.

This cake was red velvet filled & frosted with vanilla moussaline buttercream and covered in fondant.  The dark chocolate bon bons were a combination of peanut butter & peanut butter caramels.

Congrats to the winner!

After being poorly (I feel a lot better more of the time now) I have had the urge to clean the house meticulously and start creating decorations and presents for Christmas. I am rather excited about Christmas this year; I am never really over-the-top excited about it, but this Christmas will be the first in our new house! I put the tree up last night… a lot of people have said that it is far too early, but my family is coming to celebrate Christmas a week early, so why cant I put the tree up a week early!? It is just inspiration standing in the corner now, I cant wait to start putting presents under it.

Yesterday Ryan came home with a new frying pan, which was on sale in Debenhams:

So this led me on to looking at all the kitchenware that Debenhams sell… There are quite a few things that I love, which I am sure you can get elsewhere too, just they are all bundled together in one shop! Here are my selections:

1. Dark grey Roast ‘n Rack by Maxim – I love making roast dinners so much, but I still dont really have the roasting trays for all the ingredients.

2. Cream plate with glass dome lid – I just love the aesthetic of having this in the kitchen with cakes under it!

3. Teal rectangular stoneware dish by Le Creuset – maybe for pasta bakes

4. Cream stove kettle by Prestige – I adore the lines and the shapes that make up these retro-style kettles. I even love the fact you have to put it on the stove, so amazing! There are some of the same/similar style that are electric, but its not really the same thing is it. We also need an upgrade from the £6 kettle I bought a few years ago from Woolworths haha!

5. Azure cast iron casserole dish By Le Creuset – for casseroles of course. Winter is drawing in and I am always a sucker for homemade comfort food. For some reason all the Le Creuset items I have picked here bar one are in blue; I actually like all and any of the colours in the range that they make.

6. Ken Hom 5 piece Wok set by Tao – because I dont have a wok, and I really feel like trying to make stir fry and chinese style chicken.

7. Teal cast iron 26cm square grillit by Le Creuset – because it would make amazing steaks, and you can pour out the juices from the pan afterwards… mmmmm!

8. Spring form cake pan by Kitchen Craft – because I have none!

9. Volcanic regular cast iron grill by Le Creuset – I believe you can either put this in the oven, or as a hot plate on the stove… I love that idea.

10. 5 piece stainless steel set by Prestige – because all of my pans are leaving black flakes in my pasta yuk! Not necessarily this set, but something similar that wont ruin my food.

11. Blue Icona 4 slice toaster by De Longhi – so yummy looking! And blue again… why!?? We need an upgrade from the £5 toaster from Woolworths I bought 3 years ago…

12. 14cm microwave saucepan – when I saw this I thought of Ryan. He always eats beans, and always cooks them in Tupperware pots without handles or spouts, and it looks like a very awkward process to try not to burn your fingers, so this could be ideal!

13. Assam teapot by Bodum – I am never any good at judging how long to leave teabags to steep in the water before pouring, and it either comes out too weak or too strong. So… if I can see what is going on inside the pot I will be ok! It also has a plunger to stop the process when it is right for you, and you can use teabags or leaves and it works!

14. Cream food mixer by KitchenAid – how gorgeous is this machine! We have one in the kitchen at the bar that I work at, I might see if they will sell it to me as it is not really in use.

.

I am also in the process of designing some quilted Christmas stockings for myself and Ryan, to hang on the wall (where the mantel should be if the house still had one), some knitted presents for my grandparents, maybe some other presents too, and some decorations for the house! I am thinking garlands, and wreaths, and paper chains of course.

Ryan is dying my hair for me tonight, so if I think I look semi-unpoorly afterwards I shall take a photo and paste it to the end of this blog.

[Edit - photo!!!]

Jenn xx

P.S I am now down to 4 hamsters… It seems to be a sad time in Hamsterville. I have not changed anything about their living conditions… maybe it is just that time of year Rest in peace crazy dude who bit me really hard…

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If you read my earlier post you know that I’ll be splitting Thanksgiving between my family and Eros’ family this year. Because I am a great guest, I had planned to bring a dish for Eros’ family. At first I was going to make a caramel cake since that’s Eros’ favorite cake. I was searching the net for the perfect recipe only to find out Eros has never actually had a “real” caramel cake. His favorite cake, that he had me all hyped to make, is really a boxed cake with caramel frosting. When I found that out my excitement went totally out the door…what fun is there in making a boxed cake? None. I was all set to make real caramel with brown sugar…that syrup stuff…butter and the works. Anyway. So I still needed something to take so I settled on cupcakes, I figured that would be easy enough. Since we’re leaving for Michigan tomorrow I figured I’d get a leg up and make one batch of cupcakes tonight and the other in the morning. Well thank God for the dry run…my cupcakes were not great They kind of looked like cornbread muffins and they were dry. I’m convinced that something is wrong with my oven. I followed the directions and they still did not turn out the way I would have liked.

So after all the hype, guess what I’m taking to dinner!?! I don’t know either…some cake or pie…whatever Giant Eagle has available.

I’m finding that cooking is not so much a problem for me…but baking…I’m gonna need some more practice. What’s your favorite thing to bake? And how do you make it…a sista needs some help!

Mo Sista Chrissy McKenzie had a genius idea, Cakes for Movember!

A selection of moustache wearing fairy cakes were on offer, with a wide range of Mo styles to chow down on!

Congratulations to Chrissy for raising a further £20 from cake sales for our team, bringing our team total close to the £500 mark, there are rumours of around £200 of offline donations too!

In further news i combed my Mo this morning, what a feeling.

DIY cake, originally uploaded by cupcake_cook.

This is a cake I made for my brother-in-law’s birthday back in October. He is currently renovating their house so we thought this would be a fitting theme! I sent this cake via courier and it actually travelled very well and arrived in the same state as when it left me.

I’m still struggling with courier costs though – I just wish that I could find a cheaper reliable option as I have had to turn down a lot of potential customers recently. I just can’t 100% guarantee that cakes will arrive safe and in one piece. If you’ve got any suggestions I’d love to hear them.

The other day I realized that I had, once again, over-purchased produce the week before. I originally was thinking ‘oooh galette’ but then decided that a nice moist pound-cake-style cake would be in order, because it would keep better than a galette would, and would also transport better – I smuggled the cake into the library for a project meeting. Team Cake has won portability in this round against Team Galette a.k.a. rustic, free-form pie.

Three bosc pears are the star of this cake, partnered with semisweet chocolate for a bit of contrast in color and flavor. I basically threw in the basic ingredients for a butter cake and hoped for the best when it came to the liquid-to-dry ratio (taking into account water, half and half, diced pears, and brown sugar), and thankfully the cake came out as a cake, and not some horrific battery mess. Hooray!

This cake is great for both dessert and breakfast, as it’s rich enough for dessert but not so sweet to be overwhelming at whatever breakfast time you partake in – mine is around 1 o’clock in the afternoon, but whatever works.

I admit that for butter cakes I’m rather old-fashioned and will butter and flour the pan. It might also have something to do with how pretty the pan looks and, more likely, how I don’t have the spray oil stuff here in the Midwestern outpost of Mason-Dixon kitchen. (On a somewhat random note, how shameful is it that I haven’t featured a recipe involving Old Bay yet?)

Anyways, preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and butter a ten-inch springform pan.

Then toss in some flour…

and sort of roll/shake the pan around on an angle to spread the flour around. Tap it a bit to loosen the excess as well, and discard the excess.

Grab 1 and 1/2 cups of regular sugar and 2 cups of light brown sugar:

and add in one cup of unsalted butter (two sticks).

Stir stir stir! Then add three eggs. Technically you’re supposed to mix in the eggs one at a time but I admit that I added all three and simply mixed in each egg next to the other eggs, and then mixed the eggy parts together. It works, at least for this recipe.

Measure out and add two teaspoons of baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Then add flour a cup at a time, stirring after each addition, for three cups of flour total. I also added in the 1/2 cup of half and half and 1/2 cup of water earlier than perhaps I should have, according to my own recipe. Oh well!

Gently fold in six ounces of semisweet chocolate chips. I used Ghirardelli because it was on sale, I like the taste, and it’s vegan for when I need to make vegan baked goods – you can of course substitute your preferred chocolate chip or chunk, and even go for a higher cacao percentage if you want. I think a nice dark chocolate would go swimmingly with the pears but sadly I didn’t have any around.

It appears it is pear time! (Heh.) I peeled and diced each pear separately, and even tossed the pears in a tablespoon or so of lemon juice to prevent premature browning. I used a knife but I think a peeler would be much easier, and safer for the clumsy like me.

The pears will break down a tad in the cake so don’t cut the pieces up too small.

Pretend that I took a picture of me folding the pears into the batter while I skip ahead to adding the batter to the springform pan.

Smooth out the batter, and pop into the oven for fifty to sixty minutes, or until a tester comes out clean, assuming you didn’t jab a pear piece, that is.

My cake took fifty-five minutes, but since the edges are slightly pulling away from the pan, I probably should’ve pulled it out five minutes sooner as the back of my oven is hotter than the front.

Let the cake cool before slicing if neat slices are important to you – otherwise warm cake is delicious if not necessarily non-collapsible!

Warm chocolate and pears in a nice moist cake – perfect for fall!

Pear-Chocolate Cake

Makes 10-12 servings

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 3 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 3 eggs
• ½ cup half and half
• ½ cup water
• 6 oz. semisweet chocolate chips
• 3 bosc pears, peeled and diced
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice (optional – mix in with diced pears to prevent browning)

1. Preheat oven to 325.

2. Butter and flour a 10-inch springform cake pan.

3. Cream butter and sugar together. Mix in eggs one at a time until combined.

4. Add flour, baking powder, and salt, and mix well. Add in half and half and water.

5. Gently fold in chocolate chips and diced pears. Pour batter into pan.

6. Bake 50-60 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. Let cool before slicing if you prefer neater slices.

½ cup butter
1 ½ cups sugar
1 T. white vinegar
1 T. vanilla extract
3 large eggs
1 oz. Bottle red food coloring
2 ½ cups all purpose flour
2 T. cocoa
1 T. baking soda
½ T. salt
1 cup buttermilk
Cream cheese frosting

Beat butter at medium speed until creamy. Gradually add sugar, vinegar, and vanilla, beating well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition.

Combine flour and next 3 ingredients, add to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour. Beat at low speed until blended after each addition. Pour into 2 greased and floured 9-inch cake pans.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-22 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire rack for 5 minutes, remove from pans, and cool on wire racks.

Note: cake can be made ahead and frozen. See my cooking tips on cakes.

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

1 8 oz. Pkg. Cream cheese
½ cup butter
1 16oz. Pkg. Powdered sugar
1 ½ t. vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans

Beat cream cheese and butter until creamy, gradually add sugar and vanilla, beating well. Stir in pecans. Yield: 3 cups

I have to admit, I am obsessed with cream cheese frosting.  It really doesn’t matter what the cake is – if it has cream cheese frosting on top, I am in.  Another obsession I have though is with snack cakes.  Maybe it is because I was not allowed to have sweets growing up.  My friends would bring these snack cakes to school in their lunches (mostly the prepackaged kinds), and I would stare longingly.  I remember there was one girl in my class in 5th grade that brought some type of snack cake (Yodels, Twinkies, Ding Dongs, Ho Hos, etc…) every day in her lunch.  I decided that I needed to be friends with her in hopes that she would invite me over after school – just so I could try one of those goodies when we got to her house.  I still remember the strawberry rolls we had.  That marshmallow cream in the middle was the best.  At the time, that fake strawberry jelly was like heaven.  I am so glad those days are over, and that I can make my own snack cakes with good fresh ingredients – instead of eating cakes that can sit on a shelf for years and still be moist when you open them.

I saw this recipe in Cooking Light, and the cream cheese frosting was calling me.  The cake was moist and flavorful, and not too sweet.  The frosting was a perfect match.  Do me a favor, make this for your child and pack it in their lunch.  Have them be the one that other people are jealous of.

Ingredients

Cake:

• 10.1  ounces  all-purpose flour (about 2 1/4 cups)
• 2 1/2  teaspoons  baking powder
• 2  teaspoons  ground cinnamon
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1  cup  packed brown sugar
• 1/4  cup  butter, softened
• 1  teaspoon  vanilla extract
• 2  large eggs
• 1  (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree
• Cooking spray

Frosting:

• 2  tablespoons  butter, softened
• 1/2  teaspoon  vanilla extract
• 1  (8-ounce) package 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
• 2  cups  sifted powdered sugar

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

To prepare cake, weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk.

Combine brown sugar, 1/4 cup butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well combined. Add eggs, 1 at a time, to sugar mixture; beat well after each addition. Add pumpkin; mix well. Fold in flour mixture. Spread batter into a 13 x 9-inch baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.

To prepare the frosting, combine 2 tablespoons butter, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, and cream cheese in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until combined. Gradually add the powdered sugar, beating until well combined. Spread frosting evenly over top of cake.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, click here:  Pumpkin Snack Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Enaknya kalo dapet pesenan dari ibu sndiri.. bisa minta keringanan, hehe.. bebas nuangin ideku yg sebenernya banyakan menghkhayalnya tp gak terealisasikan melulu.. tp tetep dibayar dengan harga profesional *gak mau rugiii.. :-p*

Ibu pesen Cheddar Cheese Cake, buat dimakan sndiri di rumah.. hoahoaaha.. soalnya tiap aku aku bikin pesenan orang pasti tanya² ini apa, buat siapa.. trus kalo ada bagian kue yg kepotong & gak kepake, pasti ibu makan remahannya *haduhh ibukuu.. maaf yaa *.. yg resepnya aku ambil dr blog ini *permisi tante, Asti numpang copas yaa *.. sebenernya udah pernah bikin ini sekali, dengan susu putih alias ssuai resep.. rasanya enaaaak deh.. kata Mba Suli yg maniak keju bilang enak walo kemanisan, hehe.. mirip cheesecake yg di toko² enoh noh *bahasanya ngampung amat yak *.. ngeju abich, trus bahannya jauuuh lebih murah dr JCC ato cheesecake.. cuma karena kali ini gak ada stok susu cair putih, jadinya aku ganti ama susu cair coklat.. nah, nambah lagi kan keuntungan kalo dpt pesenan dr Ibu sndiri

Oia, aku  jual cake cuma 2 ukuran, 18 cm ama 22 cm yaa.. kotak ato bulat.. jadi kalo ada yg mau, silahkan tele² aku.. hehehe..

Cake ini aku bikin abis aku bobo ciang *mumpung libur kuliah, manfaatkan tidur di siang hari, ato kapan pun selagi aku bisa hohoho*.. si Ibu lagi ngerumpi sore ama sodaranya yg rumahnya di depannya 2 rumah di sbelah rumahku.. *nah lho, mikir dah, mikir dimananya:D* krn lg libur, jd aku bikinnya nyantaiii.. udah aku wanti² buat orang rumah, kalo mau makan, besok siang aja krn pagi mau aku foto dulu, hihihii..

Yg mau bikin sndiri, aku copas kesini ya resepnya.. selamat mencoba..

Cheddar Cheese Cake
Resep dari Elly (Aljo’s Mom)

Loyang: 18cm, bulat (untuk adonan) + loyang untuk air rendaman *aku pake 18 cm kotak*
Waktu memanggang: 55 menit, 160 °C 

Bahan-bahan:
Bahan I:
• 130 gram Susu cair *aku pake susu cair coklat*
• 40 gram Butter *aku pake margarin*
• 125 gram Cheddar cheese

Bahan II:
• 20 gram Tepung terigu
• 15 gram Maizena
• 2 buah Kuning telur *aku 3 aja sekaligus, biar gampang & gak nyisa*
• 1 sdt Air jeruk (sedikit saja, untuk mengurangi aroma telur) *aku gak pake*

Bahan III:
• 3 buah Putih telur
• 80 gram Gula pasir *krn pake susu coklat, aku kurangi jd 60 gr saja*
• ¼ sdt Cream of tar-tar *aku gak pake*

Bahan IV:
• 1 sdm Selai aprikot (boleh diganti selai strawberry atau blueberry) *aku pake ganache*
• 1 sdm Air matang
• Strawberry / peach / orange/ kiwi, sesuai selera *aku pake kiwi & stroberi*

Cara membuat:

1. Siapkan loyang 18cm, olesi dengan mentega, lapisi dengan kertas roti, olesi sekali lagi dengan mentega hingga rata. Lapisi bagian luar loyang dengan aluminium foil, pastikan loyang kedap air. Siapkan loyang untuk air rendaman, isi dengan air sampai 1/4-nya (saat memanggang ketinggian air tidak boleh melebihi 1/3 tinggi loyang adonan).
2. Campur mentega, susu cair, dan keju cheddar yang sudah dipotong2 kecil (Bahan I) dalam panci kecil, panaskan di atas api sambil diaduk2 hingga semua bahan meleleh dan menyatu. Jaga supaya krim tidak sampai gosong. Jika perlu, matikan api sementara krim diaduk2. Catatan: agak susah membuat keju cheddar cair benar. Selama potongan keju sudah cukup halus dan tercampur rata dengan susu dan mentega, tidak apa-apa membiarkan krim agak bergerindil.
3. Dalam keadaan krim masih hangat, ayak terigu dan maizena (Bahan II) ke dalamnya. Aduk hingga rata. Masukkan kuning telur. Masukkan air jeruk. Pastikan semua bahan menyatu.
4. Masukkan loyang berisi air ke oven, nyalakan oven dengan suhu 160 °C. Jika Anda menggunakan otang & tidak punya termometer (seperti saya), nyalakan api kecil saja, asal api birunya menyentuh dasar oven.
5. Kocok putih telur, gula pasir dan cream of tar tar hingga ’soft peak’ saja (jangan sampai terlalu kaku lho). Masukkan kocokan ini ke adonan. Aduk hingga rata benar. Tuang adonan ke dalam loyang.
6. Cek loyang apakah sudah cukup hangat. Air rendaman tidak perlu sampai mendidih / bergolak, cukup sampai ada gelembung2 kecil di dasar loyang. Letakkan adonan loyang di atasnya. Penampilan pemanggangan dengan cara au bain marie kira-kira begini.
7. Panggang selama 50 menit. Tes dengan tusuk gigi. Jika masih kurang matang, bisa ditambahkan 5-10 menit lagi. Saat matang, permukaan cheese cake tetap kuning (tidak coklat) dan ada semu keemasan.
8. Dalam keadaan hangat, langsung balik adonan. Supaya tidak lengket, gunakan selembar serbet kering untuk membalik. Pelan-pelan ya, karena cheese cake ini lembuuut sekali.
9. Penyelesaian: hangatkan selai aprikot dengan air matang di atas kompor (asal hangat dan bisa diaduk). Olesi permukaan cheese cake dengan selai, hias dengan buah-buahan sesuai selera.

Bulan ini memang bulannya Black Forest….

Repeat Order from Mbak Yetti.

Hiihii.. niatnya mau di topping buah, soale lagi seneng banget ama warna2 buah yang men-clang. Tapi mbak Yetti kemarin telpon minta pakai coklat aja, karena celebration-nya mo diadain pagi2… kayaknya memang kurang pas kalo pagi dah disuguhin buah2an ya..

Inget-inget bahan dirumah..  walah black cherry nya pun tak ada.. pulang kantor musti ke pasar nih… Cuaca rawasari dan sekitarnya di sore hari hujaan… mana gak bawa payung… Alhamdulillah ada yang nawarin tumpangan sampai depan Arion Plaza Rawamangun, nyambung naik metro mini 03 sampai terminal. Posisi Pasar di depan terminal. Wussshhh… harus cepat…. yah..ternyata dugaanku benar… karena hujan dan sepi pengunjung.. pasar dah pada tutup..

Ya Allah… nyari kemana nih… muka udah ke-set bingung en clingak-clinguk.. banyak abang2 tukang buah.. ada yg ngegodain lah… (.. bete..) ada juga yg ngasih tau.. ada toko di belakang pasar.

Hujan2an…sambil lari2 kecil… kiclik..kiclik… wah pintunya dah setengah tertutup… dari jauh teriak-teriak… Koo..ko.. (yg jual chinese).. jgn tutup dulu…

Eh dia malah bilang.. siapa yang mau tutup neng… orang ini biar tikus gak masuk… Walaaahh.. dah teriak2, diliatin orang pula.. hehehe.. (sambil nyengir masuk ke toko).

Toko ini bakalan jadi andalan nih.. tokonya besar..  cukup komplit (tapi gak ada fondant), harga bisa digoyang dikit… (koko-nya gampang dirayu.. hihi..) dan yang paling penting dia buka jam setengah 6 pagi, tutup jam 8 malam. Eh lupa ongkos dari kantor cuma Rp. 2000 lho.. (kan ongkos juga harus diperhitungkan…). Ongkos pulang… gratis… merayu minta jemput pak Aryo hehehe…

Sampai rumah belum kebayang mo dihias gimana kuenya… Kriwel2 coklat aja lah… sambil ngelonin Adi, serut2 coklat dikamar… (Ini kamar dah jadi dapur ke-dua). Pakai Dark & White Chocolate. Tapi tanpa sentuhan buah kayaknya gak segeerr deh.. nah better deh ditambah cherry merah dan hijau…

Full Chocolate

Pagi harinya… ya Allah… ujan lagiii…

Harus pagi2 berangkatnya… dari rumah jam 6 lewat 10, depan komplek aja udah macet.. berangkat dengan jas ujan motor Revo nyelip-nyelip nyampe kantormelihat keadaan kue… alhamdulillah baik2 saja.. langsung disimpan di kulkas ruangan mbak Yetti.

Happy Birthday ya mbakku… Semoga kuenya berkenan.. (eh kok kue duluan..). Semoga panjang umur, sehat selalu dan tetap menjadi ibu & istri sholehah… amin..

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