Chocolate Cake Fixings

I've been making my mom's chocolate cake recipe for years.  I don't believe the recipe is here, but I know exactly where it is, so I never have a hard time finding it to making it.

However, as time as gone by, I've played with the icing and filling.  Since I don't make cakes on a regular basis (and even less now that I am teaching), I wanted to put my filling/frosting options in the same place.  This will prevent me leafing carefully through my binder of recipes that I've gleamed from online, cooking magazines, and who knows where else.

Dark Chocolate Mousse Filling (for between chocolate cake layers)
(for a three layer cake)
from Food and Wine magazine

1 t unflavored gelatin
1 T water
1 c chilled heavy cream
1/4 c coffee or coffee liqueur
4 large egg yolks
1/4 c sugar
8 oz bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled

In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the water and let stand until softened.  Meanwhile, in a medium bowl (this is not the bowl you will end up using for the filling), use a handheld mixer to whip the cream until soft peaks form.  Refrigerate until chilled or until you ready for it. (at least 10 minutes)

In a small microwave safe bowl, heat the coffee liqueur until hot.  Stir in the softened gelatin until it is dissolved.

In a second medium bowl (this bowl will contain the finished mousse), beat the egg yolks with the sugar and salt until a ribbon forms (it should be pale and thickened), about 5 minutes.  While beating the yolks, gradually add the gelatin mixture.  Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.  Beat in the melted, cooled chocolate.  Using a rubber spatula, fold in the whipped cream in 2 additions.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 4 hours.

Peanut Butter Frosting
(enough for 1 1/2 doz cupcakes or the filling of a three layer cake)
from Ina Garten

1 c confectioners sugar
1 c creamy peanut butter
5 T butter, at room temperature
3/4 t vanilla
1/4 t salt
1/3 c heavy cream

Put the confectioners sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and salt in a mixing bowl and beat on medium-low speed using an electric mixture until creamy.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.  Add the cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and smooth

Apple Cake (Not the bundt kind)

For years, I would make Jewish Apple Cake a couple of times each fall.  It was a production.  Great numbers of apples needed to peeled and sliced.  I carefully tried to divide a batter into thirds.  I prayed when it was time to remove the cake from the pan.  Would it stick or would it come out cleanly and be presentable?

Last year, I found a new apple cake recipe.  Sadly, I haven't gone back to the Jewish Apple Cake since.   I discovered this new cake was the perfect camping cake.  I make it in a 9x13" pan and all weekend, we snack on the cake--for breakfast while we wait for breakfast to be made, as a mid-morning/mid-afternoon snack, for dessert for lunch.  It's perfect.

I also don't peel the apples or thinly slice them--cubing them is just fine.  Sometimes, I mess up and don't follow the directions exactly--more than once, I forget put a layer of brown sugar/butter in the middle so I put a double thick layer on top.  Regardless, this cake is good and gets eaten quickly, whether we are camping or at home.

Makes one 9x13" pan

Apple Cake
adapted from thekitchn.com

1 1/2 c yogurt, well stirred (don't use Greek, it's too thick and doesn't have enough liquid)
2/3 c oil
a scant 1/4 c fresh lemon juice
1 c sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 t vanilla
1 1/2 lbs tart apples, such as Granny Smith
2 1/2 c flour
2 1/2 t baking powder
3/4 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 t cinnamon

1 c brown sugar
1 fat T cinnamon
4 T butter, at room temperature

Whisk together the yogurt, oil, lemon juice, sugar, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl.  Core the apples and chop into 1/2" chunks.  Stir the chopped apple into the liquid ingredients.  Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and 1/2 t cinnamon into the liquid ingredients and stir just until no lumps (minus the apples) remain.

In a separate small bowl, combine the brown sugar, 1 T cinnamon, and butter.

Pour half of the apple batter into a greased 9 x 13" pan.    Sprinkle half the cinnamon-brown sugar mixture over the apple batter.  Carefully spread the rest of the batter over top.  I find it's easiest to do this by dropping it by large spoonfuls onto the cinnamon-brown sugar and then carefully connecting the spoonfuls with a rubber scraper.  Sprinkle the remaining cinnamon-brown sugar over the top.

Bake 45-55 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean in a preheated 350 degrees oven.  If it is browning too fast, cover it with foil at the end.  Let cool on a cooling rack for 15 minutes before cutting.

Boston Creme Pie

It was my birthday the other day. I made my own birthday cake.

That's right. For the past couple of years, I have requested to make my own cake. My daughter tells me that's just wrong, I can't make my own cake. However, I am a cake snob. I don't like grocery store cakes and bakery cakes tend to get right pricey. So, I make my own. That means I get to choose the kind of cake I get and generally, I know I will like how it tastes. Granted, if my husband volunteered to make me a cake (which he has before), I would let him. I also have many friends who I would let make my cake. At this point though, based off of all of our busy lives, it's just easiest to make my own.

The past two years, this is the cake I've requested. Growing up, my mom would always make her chocolate cake. Boston Creme Pie has replaced that cake though, thanks to the layer of pudding in the middle (those who know me well, know I am a total sucker for pudding) and a rich bittersweet chocolate ganache on the top. The only downfall is that it doesn't serve as many people as a traditional three layer cake because of it's size. I tend to cut these pieces much larger than a chocolate cake because overall, it isn't as sweet or as rich.

Boston Creme Pie

from my mom (who got it maybe from Betty Crocker cookbook) plus a few adaptions of my own

Chiffon Cake

2 eggs, separated

1 1/2 c sugar, divided

2 1/4 c sifted cake flour

3 t baking powder

1 t salt

1/3 c vegetable oil

1 c milk, divided

1 1/2 t vanilla

Beat egg whites until frothy to soft peaks stage (easiest to use a rotary beater---my large kitchenaid doesn't beat just two egg whites very well). Gradually beat in 1/2 c sugar. Continue beating until very stiff and glossy. Set aside. In a bowl of a mixer, blend flour, 1 c sugar baking powder and salt. Add oil, 1/2 c milk, and vanilla. Beat one minute at medium speed. Add remaining milk and egg yolks. Beat another minute, scraping sides of bowl frequently. Fold in beaten egg whites. Divide batter evenly between two greased, floured 9" round pans or split between 12 cupcakes and 1 greased, floured 9" pan. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 30 - 35 minutes for round pan and 17 - 20 minutes for cupcakes.

Pudding Filling

1/2 c sugar

2 T cornstarch

1/2 t salt

2 c milk

2 egg yolks, slightly beaten

1 T butter

2 t vanilla

While the cake bakes, make the pudding filling. Mix together the sugar, cornstarch and salt in a medium saucepan. Gradually stir in meat. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil one minute, continuing to stir constantly. Remove from heat and slowly stir in 1/2 of hot mixture into the egg yolk in a heat proof bowl or measuring cup. Blend egg mixture into remaining hot mixture in saucepan. Boil one additional minute. Remove from heat, add butter and vanilla, stirring to combine. Push pudding through a sieve to prevent any lumps (like any egg whites that may have ended up with the yolks). Cool, stirring occasionally.

Chocolate Ganache

1/4 c heavy cream

2 T water

2 T sugar

4 oz bittersweet chocolate, cut into large chunks

Once the cake and pudding has cooled, prepared the chocolate ganache. Bring the cream, water, and sugar to a full boil. Put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Pour the boiling cream mixture over the chocolate and let sit for 30 seconds. Stir with a whisk to melt chocolate. Allow to cool slightly so it can pour in a thick ribbon.

To assemble cake: Cut the 9" round cake in half. Top bottom half with about 3/4 of the pudding (you can use it all if you want, but I only use about 3/4 of the pudding. I eat the rest of the pudding plain). Put top half on the pudding layer. Pour the ganache over the top, smoothing with an offset spatula. If you are so inclined, you can attempt to drizzle the ganache down the sides of the cake as well. (I usually only drizzle accidentally).

Marbled Pound Cake

Everyone needs a few go to cake recipes. This is one of my mine. It's easy to make to give with a dinner for a new baby or for company you invited over at the minute. It stores well and makes a good breakfast the next morning (always a plus!). It doesn't require a lot of sifting or separating or cake flour or other cake techniques. It's easy. It's good. It's a keeper.

Marbled Pound Cake

from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan

2 c flour

1 t baking powder

1/4 t salt

1/2 c unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 c sugar

4 large eggs

1 t vanilla

4 oz bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. In a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar on high speed until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl, reduce speed to medium, and add eggs, one at a time, beating 1 minutes after each egg. Scrape down the sides of the bowl frequently. Mix in the vanilla. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture, mixing only until it is incorporated. Don't overmix.

Put half of the batter in a separate bowl. Gently stir in melted chocolate. Alternate large spoonfuls of the light and dark batters in a greased 9 x 5" loaf pan. Very gently, run a knife through the mixture to marble it. Be careful not to stir vigorously, which would just turn the whole thing into a chocolate pound cake (unless that's what you're after!). Bake in a preheated 325 degrees oven for 70 - 75 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted in the center comes out clean. After the first 45 minutes, check the cake to be sure it isn't getting too browned. If it is, cover loosely with a foil tent.

Remove from oven and let cool in pan for 30 minutes. Then, transfer to a rack (out of the pan) and allow to finish cooling.

Blueberry Crumb Cake

In Virginia, I ate incredible blueberries from both my aunt's blueberry bushes and the farmer's market. It made me sad about the lack of flavorful, fresh blueberries I was finding in my farmer's market in Texas. Low and behold, within a week, I discovered Central Market had Texas grown blueberries. I bought a pint, a little scared to hope for too much. They were incredible!! Two days later, I was back, buying two more pints and Curtis was dreaming of a blueberry crumb cake for breakfast.

I discovered just the recipe to try--Dorie Greenspan came through for me again! The cake was wonderful. Hopefully, the store will have Texas blueberries again so I can make this again this summer. I am also looking forward to making it again in the winter with frozen blueberries when I need a reminder of summer and sunshine. Do I need to say how we all loved it? Well, mostly. M only wanted to eat the streusel off the top, but that suited me fine. The streusel was my least favorite part.

This makes approximately 8 servings, depending on how big the pieces are.

Blueberry Crumb Cake
adapted from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan

For the streusel:
5 T butter, at room temperature
1/4 c sugar
1/3 c brown sugar
1/3 c flour
1/4 t salt
1/2 c pecans, chopped (optional)

For the cake:
1 pint (2 c) blueberries (fresh or frozen, unthawed)
2 c plus 2 t flour
2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1/4 t ground cinnamon
1/8 t freshly grated nutmeg (optional)
2/3 c sugar
1/2 lemon, grated zest only
6 T butter, at room temperature
2 lg eggs
1 t vanilla
1/2 c buttermilk

For the streusel: Put butter, sugar, light brown sugar, flour, and salt in the food processor. Pulse until mixtures forms clumps and holds together when pressed. Stir in nuts, if using. Cover and refrigerate until needed.

For the cake: Toss the blueberries with 2 t flour (this prevents them from sinking to the bottom of the cake). Set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining 2 c flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. In a mixing bowl, rub the sugar and zest together until the sugar is moist and aromatic. Add butter, and beat in an electric mixture at medium speed until mixture is light, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one by one, beating after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately, beginning and ending with flour. Gently stir in berries with a rubber spatula. Put the cake in a buttered 9" diameter springform pan or an 8" square pan. Top with streusel mixture, breaking up mixture into pieces as you scatter the top. Press them down slightly into the batter. Bake in a preheated 350 oven for 45 - 50 minutes for a 9" round pan or 55 - 65 minutes for an 8" square pan, or until top is golden and a thin knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer the cake to a rack to cool, removing the sides (if using a springform pan).

Strawberry Rhubarb Coffee Cake

As I mentioned earlier, I've checked some cookbooks out of the library. My favorite is The Williams-Sonoma Baking Book--maybe this is because baking is my not-so secret weakness. Since I have the cookbooks on a short loan, I perused them and marked them with bookmarks for the recipes I want to try.

I must admit, I didn't use local strawberries for this. They were from Texas (Whole Paycheck had Texas grown strawberries), but weren't as sweet as those I picked a couple of weeks ago. I just couldn't gather up the initiative to drive an hour and corral three children to pick strawberries. Forgive me. The rhubarb was grown locally though. I bought several stalks of rhubarb at least 3 years at Boggy Creek Farmstand which I had sliced and frozen. The container had been lurking in my freezer waiting for a recipe just like this. The best part was that there is enough rhubarb left for at least one more cake.

This worked perfectly. I mixed this cake up, gently placed it in the oven, and headed out on a 17 mile bike ride. When I got home, the cake was done (and almost half eaten by the 4 people I left at home). It went perfectly with the hot coffee that was waiting for me. It was a wonderful Saturday morning breakfast! (And the small leftovers were pretty good Sunday morning too!).

Strawberry-Rhubarb Breakfast Cake
from The Williams-Sonoma Baking Book

2 T sugar
1/2 t cinnamon

4 lg eggs
1 1/3 c sugar
3/4 c canola oil
3 c flour
2 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
2 t cinnamon
1 t slat
4 c (1 lb) fresh strawberries, hulled and coarsely chopped
1 - 2 stalks (4 oz) fresh rhubarb, cut crosswise into 1/2" slices or 1 c thawed, frozen, sliced rhubarb

In a small bowl mix together 2 T sugar and 1/2 t cinnamon. Set aside.

Beat together the eggs and sugar in a large bowl in an electric mixer on medium-high speed. Add the oil and beat until thick and pale, about 2 minutes. In another bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Add to the egg mixture and mix on low speed or with a wooden spoon until thoroughly blended, about 1 minute. Gently fold in the strawberries (and their juice) and the rhubarb using a silicon spatula. Take care not to break up the fruit. Do not over mix. Pour batter into greased 9" angel food cake pan with removable bottom. Evenly sprinkle reserved cinnamon-sugar mixture over top. Bake in preheated 350 degrees oven for 60 - 70 minutes, or until topping is golden brown and tester inserted into center of cake comes out clean. Remove from sides of pan immediately and place on wire rack to cool completely. Once cool, remove bottom of pan. Place cake upright (not inverted) on a serving plate.

Orange Angel Food Cake with all the Fixings

For about the past year, I've been saving egg whites for this cake. Any time I made something like pudding (or anything else that just used yolks), I'd put the whites in a glass jar in my freezer. On the lid, I'd keep a tally mark about how many whites were inside until the jar was full. The jar filled up a couple months ago. That left me to wait for oranges in our CSA box.

Saturday, I had the oranges, the whites, and the time to make this cake. I splurged and bought some tropical fruit at Central Market (oh, how I love blood oranges...) and set about making this cake. I didn't buy the passion fruit for it, it cost way too much and I didn't miss it (since I've never had passion fruit).

Today, Monday, the cake is gone. All that is left is a pint jar 3/4 full of caramel sauce (mmm...I'll have fun using that!). This was probably one of the best angel food cakes I've ever had. It was light and airy and seemed to melt in my mouth. It had nice flavor between the orange zest and the vanilla. (My cousin made homemade vanilla extract for all the cousins for Christmas this year. It is incredible!! My vanilla is made with bourbon and Madagascar vanilla beans. I need to try making my own vanilla sometime!)

Orange Angel Food Cake with all the Fixings
from Bon Appetit

Caramel Sauce
1 c sugar
1/3 c water
1 c heavy whipping cream
2 T butter
3/4 t ground cardamom (optional)
pinch of salt

Angel Food Cake
1 1/4 c powdered sugar
1 c cake flour
1/4 t salt
1 1/3 c egg whites (about 9 large)

1 1/2 t cream of tartar
1 c superfine sugar
1 T finely grated orange peel
1 1/2 vanilla

Tropical Fruit Compote
2 blood oranges
3 ripe passion fruits
1 kiwi, peeled, quartered lengthwise, then cut into 1/2" slices
1 c 1/2-inch cubes mango
1/2 c 1/2-inch cubes pineapple
1 - 2 T sugar
1 T fresh mint, chopped
pinch of salt

For the sauce (you can make this as much in advance as you want, just heat slightly before serving): Combine sugar and 1/3 c water in a heavy medium saucepan. Stir over medium-low heat until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat to medium-high and boil until syrup is deep amber, swirling the pan and brushing down sides with a wet pastry brush occasionally. Remove from heat. Carefully add the cream. Put the pan back on low heat and stir until the caramel bits have dissolved and sauce is smooth. Remove from heat, stir in butter, cardamom and a pinch of salt. Stir until butter melts. Bring to room temperature and then store in the refrigerator until you use it.

For the cake: Sift powdered sugar, flour, and salt 3 times. Place in a medium bowl. (The sifter shown below is your best friend for this recipe).



Using an electric mixer fitted with a whisk, beat egg whites until foamy. Add cream of tarter and beat until whites are opaque and soft peaks form (Soft peaks=when pulled up with a spoon, a peak forms briefly and then gently droops over back into the whites). Gradually add superfine sugar, beating until whites are thick and shiny and fluffy peaks form. (Fluffy peaks=whites hold the peak shape, but the very tip falls back into the whites. The shiny appearance is very helpful in determining this--you don't want the whites to start looking dull, that means you've over beaten it.) Add the orange peel and the vanilla and beat until just blended. Sift in 1/4 of the flour over whites. Use a large rubber spatula to gently fold the flour into the whites (gentleness is the key--you don't want the whites to deflate). Repeat with remaining flour mixture in three more additions. Transfer batter to an ungreased 10-inch diameter angel food cake pan with removable bottom and 4-inch high sides. Smooth out top with a rubber spatula. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees oven for 50 minutes, or until cake is golden and springy to touch.

When the cake comes out of the oven, immediately invert center of pan on a bottle neck. Cool completely, then gently remove from pan, inverting onto a cake stand or serving dish.


For the compote: Cut all peel and white pith from the oranges. Using a small sharp knife and working over a bowl to catch juices, cut between membranes to release orange segments into a bowl. Squeeze remaining juice from membranes into bowl. Cut passion fruits in half; scoop out pulp and add to orange segments. Add remaining fruits, sugar, mint, and a pinch of salt. Toss gently to combine.

To serve the whole thing: Put a generous slice of cake on a plate. Cover with compote and drizzle caramel over top. Aaaaahhh.

Cherry Brownie Torte

Lest you think I've only been baking cookies lately, I'll share my current favorite winter dessert to share. I tend to only make this when I know I'll have other people to share this with. It is so rich and it looks too pretty just to keep to myself. This is the cake that can get me through long evenings of taking care of kids and cleaning up all by myself. In fact, I think I will need to take a brief blogging break to have a piece. It is too good not to sit and appreciate it---to just eat it while doing something distracts me.

This is somewhat time consuming to make. It has two separate cooling/chilling periods. I make the brownie one day and the topping the next, being sure to give it at least 4 hours to chill before serving.

Cherry Brownie Torte
slightly adapted from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan

3/4 c all-purpose flour
1/4 c cocoa powder
1 t coarsely ground black pepper
1/4 t salt
1 c dried tart cherries
1/4 c water
3 T cherry preserves
12 T butter, cut into chunks
11 oz bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 c sugar
4 eggs, at room temperature
1/4 t vanilla

3 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
1/3 c sugar
1 t vanilla
1 1/2 c (12 oz) mascarpone cheese
3/4 c heavy cream

Whisk together the flour, cocoa, pepper, and salt. Bring the cherries and water to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the preserves and boil until the mixture thickens, about 3 minutes. Set aside to cool. Put butter and 7 oz of chocolate into a small metal bowl. Put over a pot of boiling water. Cover and turn off heat. Stir occasionally, until chocolate and butter are melted (turn heat on slightly if chocolate isn't melting). Stir in 1/2 c sugar and remove from heat. Meanwhile, with a mixer, beat the eggs, 1 c sugar, and vanilla until pale and thick, about 4 minutes. Using a spatula or wooden spoon, gently mix in the melted chocolate. Fold in dry ingredients, followed by cherries and remaining 4 oz of chopped chocolate. Pour batter into a 9" springform pan, whose bottom has been butter and lined with parchment paper. Smooth the top with a rubber spatula.

Put springform pan on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated 350 degrees oven for 55 minutes or until the top is dry and the cake is starting to pull away from the sides of the pan. (Don't expect the middle to be dry--if poked with a tester, moist batter should be attached). Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and cool for 15 minutes. Loosen the cake from the pan by running a blunt knife between cake and pan. Remove sides of the pan. Cool completely on base. When completely cool, invert remove base of pan and parchment paper. Wash and dry the pan and return the cake to it. Refasten the sides.

At this point, I cover the pan with foil and refrigerate for a day until I am ready to do the icing. You can do this all in one day, I just can't ever quite time it right to achieve that. It may be because I bake during nap times in the afternoons.

To make the mouse icing, beat the cream cheese, 1/3 c sugar, vanilla and a pinch of salt on medium-high speed until it is very smooth. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the mascarpone cheese and mix until it is smooth. Add the cream and beat only until the mousse is smooth and blended. Spoon the mousse over the cake and smooth out with a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon. Refrigerate cake at least 4 hours to set the mousse.

To serve, remove sides of springform pan. Dust with some extra cocoa if you would like just before serving. It is best if it sits at room temperature for 20 minutes before serving.

Thanksgiving Bundt Cake

Here is another option if you are not a pie fan (I am not a huge pie fan, so I know there must be more like me out there) but still want a Thanksgiving type dessert. This baby is loaded--pumpkin, apples, cranberries, pecans, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg--everything that tastes like Thanksgiving but the turkey. Needless to say, this cake didn't last long at our house, between sharing it with preschool teachers, extended family, and eating it for breakfasts and snacks. It maybe made it twenty-four hours. I will make this again, and maybe even at a time other Thanksgiving.

I used frozen winter squash (either kabocha or butternut, not sure which) for this. Because the
liquid in the squash increases with thawing, I ran the squash through a fine sieve to get the excess liquid out. I was expecting to need to increase the cooking time as well, but didn't need to. I've renamed the cake from it's original name (All-in-One Holiday Bundt Cake) because Thanksgiving Cake just seems to sum it up better to me and is less words.

Thanksgiving Cake
from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan

2 c flour
2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
2 t ground cinnamon
1/4 t freshly grated nutmeg
pinch of salt
1 1/2 t grated fresh ginger (1 t ground ginger)
10 T butter, at room temperature
1 c sugar
1/2 c packed brown sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 t vanilla
1 1/4 c pumpkin puree
1 lg apple, peeled, cored and finely diced
1 c cranberries, coarsely chopped
1 c pecans, coarsely chopped

Icing
6 T confectioners' sugar
2 T maple syrup

Stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and ground (if you are using--not the grated ginger). Set aside. In a separate bowl, beat the butter and sugars together on medium speed (using an electric mixer) until they are light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, and beat for 1 minute after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the pumpkin, apple, and grated ginger (if you are using). The mixture will look curdled. With the mixer still on low speed, add the dry ingredients, mixing only until they are incorporated. Stir in the cranberries and pecans with a rubber spatula. Scrape the batter into a buttered and floured 9 - 10" Bundt pan. Smooth the top with a rubber scraper. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees oven on the center rack for 60 - 70 minutes (mine only took 60 minutes) or until a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then unmold and cool on rack.

To make icing, sift 6 T of confectioner's sugar into a small bowl. Stir in maple syrup. Drizzle icing over cooled cake with a spoon. Allow icing to set a few minutes before serving.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cupcakes

As I've said many times, I am not a fan of the summer squash. Early in the season I'll cook it in identifiable forms with pasta, in sautes, grilled, or in a quiche. I'll make zucchini cakes and occasionally chilled zucchini soup. By September though, my patience has waned and I look only for those recipes that hide the zucchini and involve sugar, butter, and baking. I think zucchini was the original motivation for the whole Deceptively Delicious/The Sneaky Chef/ hide healthy foods in other dishes movement. People had the need to use zucchini that just coming and coming and coming.

In my shameless avoidance of cleaning this week, I stumbled onto another food blog after my own heart (Real Mom Kitchen, click here to see all her posts labeled with zucchini) There was a whole host of zucchini recipes involving baking and not knowing that zucchini is in it at all. This recipe was one of them. I also hope to make the zucchini whoopie pie that she has on her blog, however based off the picture, I'll want to tweak it a little to make it into one of those great Pennsylvania Dutch (ie Amish) whoopie pies I grew up with. (Don't get me started on those flat things that stores are now calling whoopie pies that are the size of saucers).

The cupcakes were really good. Curtis thought they were the best chocolate cupcakes I've ever made. I wouldn't go that far, but I do like them and can totally ignore the zucchini. The chocolate cream cheese frosting is awesome. The kids like them pretty good too.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cupcakes
from Real Mom Kitchen blog

2 (1 oz) squares unsweetened chocolate, cut into chunks
3 eggs
1 3/4 c packed brown sugar
1 c vegetable oil
2 c flour
1 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
2 c zucchini, grated
1/2 c chocolate chips

Toss zucchini with 1/2 t salt and place in sieve over a bowl. Let set until it is added to cake batter, squeezing out excess liquid before adding it to the cake (see middle picture).

In a double boiler, bring water to a boil. Turn off heat, place chocolate in bowl, cover, and let set until chocolate is melted. Set aside. (See top picture for my method of using a double boiler, setting a small metal mixing bowl inside a pot of boiling water).

In a mixer, beat eggs with sugar until pale and thickened, 5 - 10 minutes depending on mixer speed and strength. Blend in oil and cooled chocolate into the beaten egg mixture. In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add to egg mixture and combine until just blended. Stir in drained, grated zucchini and chocolate chips. Spoon batter into 24 paper-lined muffin cups, filling cups 2/3 (or slightly more) full. Bake in preheated 350 degrees oven for 20 minutes or until tester inserted into center comes out clean. Let cool on pans on rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely before icing.

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
1 (8-0z) pkg of cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 c butter, at room temperature
3 c sifted powdered sugar (you may need as much as 4 c depending on how thick you want your frosting)
1/2 c cocoa powder

Mix cream cheese and butter until smooth and creamy. Mix in powdered sugar, one cup at a time. Mix in cocoa powder and frost cupcakes.

Jewish Apple Cake-Repeat Recipe

Again, this was part of Curtis's birthday meal. He specifically requested this cake and since we had loaded up on apples (Crispins, my favorite baking apple), it was easy to oblige him. This also makes a great breakfast!

I start this post and thought I'd better double check to be sure this wasn't already on the blog. Sure enough, there is was way back in last October. So in case you've forgotten about this cake, which you never should. Here's the link to the recipe I posted a long, long time ago.

I have a feeling as I approach the year mark for this blog, I will need to double check for repeats more and more. Aaahh...the joys of eating seasonally. The old recipes are made new again every year.

Jewish Apple Cake
adapted from my Aunt's recipe

Blueberry Hill Cupcakes

I've been in a blueberry mood (thanks to buying 3 flats of berries this summer). When M's birthday approached I decided to try a blueberry cake. I knew she'd be fine with it, she only eats the icing anyway. I used the cake as a base for a cake we decorated. As a cake this seems like a cake. In cupcake form, Curtis says they are more like muffins (which brings to wonder, what is the difference between muffins and cupcakes? I'd say whole wheat flour and lots of added in chunky ingredients. I don't think there is enough extra ingredients or whole wheat flour to make these muffins...) The original recipe, which you can find on Epicurious, has a maple sugar frosting. I used a basic white fluffy icing so I could color and decorate with the icing. You can also make this as a 9 x 13" cake, just bake longer.

The recipe...

Blueberry Hill Cupcakes
from Bon Appetit

3 1/4 c flour (all purpose)
1 1/4 c sugar
1 T baking powder
1/2 t coarse salt
1/4 t baking soda
6 T unsalted butter, melted
1/4 c canola oil
2 large eggs
1 c buttermilk
1 c whole milk
1 t vanilla extract
1 t grated lemon peel
1 1/4 c fresh blueberries, frozen 4 hours (to help them from sinking to the bottom of the cupcakes)

Sift flour and next 4 ingredients into a large bowl. Whisk melted butter and oil in a medium bowl. Add eggs; whisk to blend. Whisk in buttermilk, milk, vanilla extract, and lemon peel. Add buttermilk mixture to dry ingredients; whisk just to blend. Stir in frozen blueberries. Divide batter evenly among two 12-cup muffin pans with paper liners. Bake in preheated 350 degrees oven for about 23 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. (if baking on two racks in the oven, rotate half way through baking to ensure even baking). Transfer cupcakes to racks and cool completely before icing.

Grapefruit Yogurt Cake

Ever since seeing this recipe on Joy the Baker, I've wanted to make it. I've been looking all winter for recipes that use grapefruit and for the most part have come up with not much of anything at all except fancy fruit salads. This is the recipe I've been looking for.

It was pretty easy to make. M had fun helping me stir, I didn't even use an electric mixer--it was easy to do all by hand. By far my favorite part of the whole recipe was mixing the grapefruit rind into the sugar. The smell reminded me of the chewy grapefruit candy I buy in bulk at Central Market when I splurge. It was divine. I could have stood there and just inhaled all afternoon.

The recipe tells you to use a bundt springform pan. I had a bundt pan and a springform pan, but not a bundt springform pan. I resisted the urge to run to Crate and Barrel in search of one and decided in favor of the bundt pan over the springform pan. I made sure to generously butter and flour the bottoms, sides, and center tube of the pan, but still worried as I put the wonderful smelling cake in the oven that I would never ever, ever get it out of the pan in one piece. I needn't worried as the picture attests. A well greased and floured bundt pan will work just fine.

The cake was a hit with everyone. M at first balked at eating it because Curtis said it reminded him of lemon cake. M's response-I don't like this. I don't like lemons. That didn't bother us. Eventually (when she learned there was no other dessert options), she had a piece and decided it was pretty good.