My name is Grace, and I'm a grazer.
Showing posts with label cakes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cakes. Show all posts
October 20, 2015
May 1, 2015
March 13, 2015
two birds, one stone
Now that we have a back yard (and a front yard!)(we have yards!!), we've unintentionally become amateur bird watchers.
December 14, 2014
hungry for the holidays
I love the holidays. I appreciate them so much more than I used to for two reasons.
July 12, 2014
!
May 1, 2014
deep, dark, and delectable
As names go, bete noire is simultaneously fitting and wildly inappropriate. It literally translates to ‘black beast’ but can be applied to anything to be detested or avoided. Fact: You can try to avoid this decadent treat, but if you like chocolate, it just ain’t gonna happen.
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March 19, 2014
sloth love chunk
I think I've tried every recipe for apple cake known to man, and here's the thing: They're all good. Bringing together moist, tart apples and crunchy nuts and surrounding them with cinnamon-scented cake batter simply can't ever be a bad thing.
December 5, 2013
nuts about nuts
In all my life, I've never seen an upside-down cake that didn't involve some sort of fruit.
Granted, I've only really been paying close attention to such things for about 6 years (egadders, have I been blogging that long?*), but still, have you ever encountered or heard of such a thing?
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November 17, 2013
farms of hickory (and an awesome giveaway)
I think my new favorite item to make is the upside-down cake.
Granted, there aren't quite as many things that you can change up as in cheesecakes, but its potential for versatility is still pretty great. Plus, there's that small added bonus of being something I actually enjoy eating...
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September 10, 2013
slice of life
There are a lot of pieces of equipment and several utensils that I covet from the bakery, and I'm slowly but surely purchasing and procuring my very own collection of them.
August 6, 2013
bananarama
Banana bread is a delicious, easy, and versatile treat, you'll get no argument from me on that. However, sometimes bananas deserve a fate just a little bit more decadent.
July 22, 2013
no elegant sufficiency here...
...though anything more would be superfluous.*
*That's a riff on an old Edwardian family table-saying, in case you're curious.
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June 23, 2013
tis the season...
...strawberry season, that is. Yep, there are no less than 5 trucks set up in random places in my area selling fresh strawberries out of the back. They're good strawberries, too, and I can't get enough.
April 15, 2013
a birthday cake
I said farewell to my 20s a few days ago. There were gifts, there was laughter, and by Georgina, there was cake.
February 4, 2013
downside up
Why do we say upside-down instead of downside-up? They're both true--the top becomes the bottom and the bottom becomes the top, yet downside-up is pretty much never used. These are the questions that keep me up at night.
January 26, 2013
dern it. fudge me to dern.
As with screeching children and headache pain, I can tolerate Will Ferrell in moderation. I really enjoyed some of his SNL characters (Craig the Spartan cheerleader comes to mind), but I've found that it's quite the challenge to sit through one of his movies in its entirety.
October 15, 2012
# cake (or, for my friends overseas, £ cake) (and a giveaway)
Pound cake. Is there any dessert that equals it in its combination of ease and speed of preparation and satisfying, delicious taste? Perhaps. Perhaps not.
July 23, 2012
pig pickin' cake!
I've become a contributor to what's rightfully being described as the social network of the South--The Southern Coterie. If you have any fascination with or connection to the southern US, you simply must take a look at our site.
July 20, 2012
the british are coming!
I'm not ashamed to admit that there's a lot I love about the United Kingdom. So many of my favorite shows are set there (in one era or another)(and for the record, Sherlock tops my list right now, without question or competition), and I enjoy the accents and overall demeanor of its people.
April 3, 2012
dream on
Have you met frangipane? I only recently made her acquaintance (she lets me call her Fran), but I can already tell that we're gonna be pals.
For the less informed, frangipane is essentially a combination of pastry cream, almond paste, and ground almonds. While I typically can only tolerate the taste of almond extract in very small amounts, there's no defeating the power of rich, luscious pastry cream. It makes the almond extract exponentially more enjoyable. Combine that with a subtly favored almond cake, a layer of sweet, tart raspberry preserves, and a smooth, tasty coating of almond buttercream frosting, and you have one heck of a magnificent dessert.
If you pay any attention at all, you've probably noticed that I often do two things to my layer cakes: 1)cut each layer in half horizontally, and b)apply some sort of moistening agent to each layer. I do so hate a dry cake, and taking these steps seems to hold off the dessication long enough for the cake to be consumed. Bakerella suggests loading a spray bottle with a simple syrup, and that's an idea I may try in the future to save myself a few minutes.
So, not only do the moist pieces slice neatly, but if you make it a point to get a bite containing each and every component, you'll experience a blend of the nutty, the tangy, the sweet, and the splendid. Good on you, Fran!
Raspberry Almond Dream Cake
Cake:
2 1/4 cups cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
4 large egg whites
1 1/2 cups sugar
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Frangipane:
3/4 cup (about 7 ounces) almond paste (not marzipan)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 egg
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
Raspberry preserves
Almond buttercream:
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2-3 tablespoons milk, room temperature
2-3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
2 cups almonds, toasted and crushed
First, make your frangipane, as it can be kept in the fridge for weeks. In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the almond paste until it is crumbly. Add the butter, sugar, vanilla and almond extracts, egg, flour and salt, and continue to pulse until the mixture is combined and smooth. Cover tightly and refrigerate until needed.
Now, the cakes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 9-inch round cake pans and line the bottom of each pan with a round of buttered parchment or wax paper.
Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk together the milk and egg whites in a medium bowl. Combine the sugar and the butter and beat at medium speed for a full 3 minutes, until very light. Beat in the extracts, then add one third of the flour mixture, still beating on medium speed. Beat in half of the milk-egg mixture, then beat in half of the remaining dry ingredients until incorporated. Add the rest of the milk and eggs, beating until the batter is homogeneous, then add the last of the dry ingredients. Finally, give the batter a good 2-minute beating to ensure that it is thoroughly-mixed and well-aerated. Divide the batter between the pans and smooth the tops with a spatula.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the cakes are well risen and springy to the tough--a thin knife inserted into the centers should come out clean. Transfer the cakes to cooling racks and cool for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the cakes, unmold them and peel off the paper liners. Cool completely, then cut each layer in half horizontally. (It helps tremendously to freeze the layers for about 30 minutes first.)
To make the frosting, beat the butter with an electric mixer for a few minutes. Add the extract and milk and briefly blend. Add the powdered sugar gradually until the frosting is thick enough to spread easily. If the frosting is too dry, add additional milk until the desired consistency is reached.
To assemble, liberally brush the four sides of exposed cake with the raspberry preserves. Divide the frangipane into thirds and slather it between the halved and preserved layers (stacking as you go), then frost the sides and top in a decorative fashion. Press the toasted almonds into the sides, if desired. Chill for a bit to let things mingle, then slice and serve!
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