Mascarpone Pecan Pie

1 prepared chocolate cookie crust

12 oz Mascarpone

3 eggs

½ c powdered sugar

½ tsp vanilla

2 tsp cream

¾ c chopped pecan pieces


Preheat oven to 350 f.


Whip first five ingredients until combined. Fold in pecans and then pour into the crust. Bake for 20 minutes, then allow to cool. Serve w/fresh berries and crème anglaise.

Brown Sugar Cake

There is something infinitely soothing about making a cake. My favorite make to make one that requires no actual thought on my part and can be done so quickly that it boggles the mind to think so many people find it hard.

For me it is not about the end result. Sure everyone loves cake. Since my personal favorite end result is pie, cake is another matter entirely. Measuring, weighing, creaming, folding. The act itself is so satisfying that I could and apparently have, do it in my sleep.

For this recipe, you want the butter and eggs to be at room temperature. It requires a scale and I think it is worth getting the scale out for this one. Once the cake is baked and filling your house with that wonderful scent, you will see it was worth the extra bit of effort.

Luna’s ¼ lb Brown Sugar Cake

Ready?

Weigh out a quarter pound each of butter, brown sugar, flour and eggs.

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. It takes about 2-3 minutes.

Add eggs. Make sure eggs are fully absorbed. This means that the butter looks uniform.

Slowly add flour with the mixer running. Once the flour is incorporated you can stop mixing. Pull out the bowl and combine whatever is on the sides into the mix. Pour or scoop into prepared pans. This recipe yields one 6” square pan or 2 medium small loaf pans.

Bake for approx 30 min. Check them at this point because ovens vary. Mine tends to run rather hot.

Serve with berries, stone fruit, chocolate sauce, whipped cream or whatever gorgeous thing takes your fancy!

Whoopie for Whoopie Pies!

United Cakes of America review part 2

Next up were the Whoopie Pies, which I made for my birthday cake. Okay, it’s not a cake per se but it is delicious and filled with gooey goodness so what is not to love?! I have long searched for the perfect Whoopie Pie recipe and personally I think I found it. The consistency and flavor are spot on and they are really very easy to make.

 I served them with fresh strawberries and a few blackberries after a gorgeous dinner of chicken mushroom Marsala with red potatoes and green beans.

For Whoopie Pies:

Dry Ing

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
3 tablespoons Bob's Red Mill, Potato Starch

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt

Wet Ing

3/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla

1 stick butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 light brown sugar, packed
1 egg

preheat oven to 350 F. line 2 baking pans with parchment and spray with non-stick spray.

In separate bowls, combine wet ingredients and dry ingredients, set aside.

cream butter and sugars for 3 minutes, then add egg. alternate dry and wet mixture. do this quickly and make sure you scrape down your bowl. This batter is sensitive, so don't overwork it!

Using a 1/2 cup or a 2 oz cookie scoop, drop dough onto sheet pans and make sure they are spaced out. bake 12-15 minutes. i wouldn't use my regular cookie racks to cool these as they would leave a pattern on the soft cakes.

Seven Minute Frosting

1 1/4 cups sugar
3 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon each: vanilla, amaretto, rum (or your preference...I like scotch or bourbon!)

Bring a pan of water to simmer so you can create a double boiler. Combine sugar, egg whites, salt and cream of tartar over the simmering water. beat with a handheld mixer for 7 minutes.

The seven minute frosting is marshmallowy and though it takes a long time, is quite delicious. That being said, I think that next time I will take a half cup of sugar out of the filling as I found it a bit too sweet.

I stored these covered on a plate and you want to make sure you use parchment paper or the like to separate or they stick together.

The major bonus is that after sitting overnight they bear a strong resemblance to that childhood favorite you no longer eat because it is filled with junk. Yeah!!

also next time i want to try some different flavors, maybe adding a bit of fruit puree to the filling just for fun.

Cherry Bundt Cake

I am breaking this cookbook review into three parts or else it will be ridiculously long:

A few months ago I had the pleasure of interviewing Warren Brown and chatting about his new cookbook. He is such an encouraging person with the sort of enthusiasm I don’t often find in many people. I was very excited when we talked about his newest book, the United Cakes of America: Recipes Celebrating Every State, which showcases each states specialty cake.

When it landed on my doorstep, I was thrilled beyond belief: after a few weeks of not really baking, I was ready to get into the kitchen and show my stuff. First off, I went through the book and looked at each recipe. Then I bookmarked the ones that I most wanted to try immediately, followed by making a list of ingredients I would need for the task.

As a pastry chef and avid baker, I do generally have most of the ingredients one would need lying around, but it’s good to make sure you have fresh milk, eggs and well, when you bake a lot you go through sugar pretty fast!

It was hard to choose where to start first, but I went for Bundt cake. I made minis using my angel food cake pans, and I added fresh cherries. Other than that, I followed the recipe exactly. Not only is this cake delicious, it is good when used to bribe your friendly neighborhood bartender when he spots you a drink cause you're broke!

Cake:

Dry Ing
3 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Wet Ing
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla

2 sticks butter
2 1/2 cups + 2 tablespoons sugar
6 eggs

Preheat oven to 335 F after making sure rack is in the center. Spray or brush either a 12 cup bundt pan or mini pans as you wish. I used 4 mini angel food cake pans and 3 loaf pans.

whisk dry ingredients together in one bowl, the wet ingredients in another bowl and set aside. cream butter and sugar for about 5 minutes then add eggs one at a time, scraping the sides down.

alternate the dry and wet ingredients, scrape down the sides and use your spatula to make sure the sides are combined in. Scoop into prepped pan(s) and bake approx. 50 minutes for large cake, 30 miniutes for minis. Cool 5 minutes, invert and cool.

Glaze or leave plain. Or drizzle with chocolate!

I added a 1/4 cup of cherries but next time I will add a 1/2 cup of cherries and some lime zest, just because that sounds good to me. I also think you could add lemon and anise for another delicious set of flavors!

Stayed tuned, because next up is....Whoopie Pies!

Apricot Ginger Pecan Cake

Since I love to experiment and had dried apricots and candied ginger lying about, last night I made this lovely little cake.

3/4 c dried apricots, chopped, soaked and drained
1/2 c candied ginger, chopped
1 stick butter, melted
1 c oats + 2 tsp water, stirred together

Combine throughly to make sure everything is coated by the butter.

Then add: 1/2 c pecans
3 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp flour
1/2 c cornstarch

Mix together until just combined (do not overmix!)

Pour into buttered 7x2" pan and bake @325 F for about a half hour.

Let cool before taking out of pan, place on plate and then sprinkle w/powder sugar.

Enjoy!

Love Potion #9 Cake

I tried out this cake on my friends and it ended up paired with figs & goat cheese that had been baked & drizzled in balsamic. The cake is light and moist, the liqueur flavor unique. I know it was a hit because the Cheese Princess kept drifting over for more! The only addition we would have liked might have been little Love Potion #9 laced Chantilly cream.

2 c flour
2 tsp b powder
¼ tsp salt
½ c milk
½ c Love Potion #9
½ c sugar
¾ vegetable shortening
3 eggs

Preheat oven to 350.

Combine dry ingredients, set aside. Combine milk and Love Potion #9, set aside.
Cream shortening & sugar, add eggs. Starting & ending with flour mixture, alternately add flour mix with milk mix. Do not over mix! If you have some flour that doesn’t blend in, use a spatula.
I used four 6 x 3½ loaf pans, baked for approx 25 minutes.

Luna's Chocolate Spelt Cake

Chocolate Spelt Cake

1 stick butter

pinch salt

¼ tsp ginger

¼ c mascarpone

1 c spelt flour

1 c muscavado

4 eggs

¼ c cream

1 c cocoa


Combine all ingredients in a processer to meld. Pour into buttered cake pan. bake at 325 for 25 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream & brandy cherries.

Cinnamon Oat Cake

1 stick butter, room temp
1 c raw sugar
1 1/2 c pastry flour
1 tbsp cinnamon
3 eggs
1/4 tsp cardamom
1/2 tsp baking powder

Xtra cinnamon and sugar mixed together, oats for topping

Cream butter and sugar, then add eggs and spices until just combined. Add flour and baking powder, mix well and then pour in a lightly buttered pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, bake @ 325 for about 20-25 minutes. Enjoy with fruit and whipped cream!

This is one of those cakes that is perfect for morning coffee or afternoon tea!

Blood Orange Cake

zest of 3 blood oranges
juice of 1 blood orange
1 1/2 stick butter
1 c cane sugar
1/2 c turbinado sugar
3 large eggs

-Cream together and then add

2 c whole wheat pastry flour, sifted
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp poppy seeds

Bake at 325 F. for approx 30 minutes. Cool. Once cool, combine for drizzle:

2 blood oranges (already zested for cake)
1/4 c sugar

enjoy!

created 2/14/09 :)