Cake

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Plum Cake

This is a perfect fall dessert. It was wonderful warm and the next day was even better. Adapted from a Smitten Kitchen recipe.

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder ()
Large pinch of salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar plus 1 to 2 tablespoon (depending on sweetness of plums)
1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs
4-5 purple plums – depending on size, halved and pitted
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon or tablespoon ground cinnamon

Heat oven to 350°F. Sift or whisk together flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. In a larger bowl, cream butter and 1 cup sugar together with an electric mixer until fluffy and light in color. Add the eggs, one at a time and scraping down the bowl, then the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined. 

Spoon batter into an ungreased 9-inch springform pan (but if you’re worried, you can always lightly coat it first with butter or a nonstick spray) and smooth the top. Arrange the plums, skin side up, all over the batter, covering it. Sprinkle the top with lemon juice, then cinnamon, then remaining sugar. 

Bake until cake is golden and a toothpick inserted into a center part of the cake comes out free of batter (but of course not plum juice), about 45 to 50 minutes. Cool on rack. 

Big Apple Crumb Cake
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Big Apple Crumb Cake

This is wonderful!!!! Adapted from the Smitten Kitchen- one of my favorite blogs. I cut down on the amount of sugar and left off the powdered sugar because I don’t like overly sweet desserts. I used honeycrisp and golden delicious and substituted Greek yogurt for sour cream. I did not use all the crumb either but was a personal call. This was wonderful the next day, I just warmed a little in the oven. I made this for my mom’s birthday and she LOVED it.

Apples

  • 1 pound apples (3 medium or 2 large), peeled if you wish, cored, cut into 1/2-inch wedges
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

Crumbs

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 1/3 cup light or dark brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

Cake

  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/3 cup sour cream or greek yogurt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Heat oven: To 325°F (165°C). Lightly coat an 8-inch square or 9-inch cake pan with butter or nonstick spray. For extra security, line it with parchment paper.

Prepare apples: Toss apples with lemon juice, then cinnamon and sugar and set aside.

Make crumbs: Whisk butter, sugars, cinnamon, and salt together until evenly mixed. Add flour and mix until it disappears. It’s going to be very thick; set it it aside.

Make cake: Beat butter with sugar until lightened and fluffy. Add egg, sour cream, and vanilla and beat until combined. Sprinkle surface of batter with with baking powder and salt, and beat well to combine. Add flour and mix only until it disappears.

Assemble: Scrape batter into prepared cake pan and smooth it flat. Arrange apples on cake, slightly overlapped. I usually fit all but 2 wedges; those are cook’s snacks. Pour any cinnamon-apple juices in bottom of bowl over apples. Sprinkle crumbs over apple slices. For bigger crumbs, squeeze the crumbs into small fistfuls and break these up into a couple bigger chunks over the cake.

Bake: Bake the cake until a toothpick inserted into the apples doesn’t hit any crisp spots and if you look closely, you’ll see juices bubbling around some apples, about 50 to 55 minutes. 

Cool to room temperature, if you can bear it, before cutting into squares or wedges. Dust generously with powdered sugar.

Cake keeps at room temperature loosely covered (in an airtight container, the crumbs eventually soften) for 3 days or in the fridge, well-wrapped, for 6 days.

Strawberry Buttermilk Cake
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Strawberry Buttermilk Cake

This cake is moist and lovely for dessert, brunch or tea time, Would be good with blueberries or raspberries. We could not wait for it to cool so ate it warm and it was just addictive. Adapted from theviewfromgreatisland.com

Ingredients

  • 1 and 1/2 cups or 210 grams all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick or 113 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 3/4 cup or 225 grams granulated sugar plus extra for sprinkling
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3 large eggs or 2 jumbo eggs
  • 1/4 cup or 60 grams sour cream
  • 1/4 cup or 60 grams buttermilk
  • 14 ounces or 398 grams fresh strawberries hulled and sliced

Instructions

  • Set oven to 350F
  • Lightly spray a 9 or 10 inch spring form pan.
  • Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside.
  • Cream the soft butter and sugar together in a stand mixer for 3-4 minutes, until light and fluffy. Scrape down the side of the bowl a couple of times.
  • Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and then beat in the vanilla.
  • Stir the sour cream and buttermilk together to blend, and then add the flour to the mixing bowl alternately with the sourcream/milk, beginning and ending with the flour. Mix until combined, but don’t over mix.
  • Fold in the berries and turn into the prepared pan. Smooth out the top. Sprinkle the surface of the cake liberally with granulated sugar.
  • Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the cake no longer jiggles in the center and the top is golden and slightly crackled. The exact cooking time will depend on the pan size you use. You can insert a toothpick in the center to test.
  • Let cool briefly, and then unlatch the spring and remove the outer ring. I like to run a spreading knife along the edge first to loosen any parts of the cake that are sticking to the pan. Cool completely on a rack before slicing.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Frosting
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Chocolate Peanut Butter Frosting

I made this as a frosting on a devils food cake but this would be wonderful on cupcakes. Those kind of cupcakes that are the size of your head and with a huge swirl of frosting. I have never been a huge cake fan and even less of frosting. But, full disclosure, I wanted to sit down with a spoon and eat this right out of the bowl. I had to throw out the left overs so I would not be tempted. My husband ate 2 pieces of this cake and I am convinced it was because of the frosting. From Sallysbakingaddiction.com

Ingredients

  • 1 cup (230g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
  • 1/2 cup (130g) creamy peanut butter*
  • 3 and 1/2 cups (420g) confectioners’ sugar
  • 1/2 cup (45g) unsweetened natural or dutch-process cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1–2 Tablespoons milk
  • salt, to taste

Directions

With a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the butter and peanut butter together on medium speed until creamy and smooth, about 2 minutes. Add confectioners’ sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, and 1 Tablespoon milk. Mix on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to high speed and beat for 2 minutes. Add another Tablespoon or 2 of milk if frosting is too thick. Taste and add a pinch of salt if needed. (I always add a pinch!)

Intense Chocolate Mousse Cake
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Intense Chocolate Mousse Cake

This is, like the title says, intense. Chocolate, flourless yumminess. This is based on a Nigella Lawson recipe. My husband, who is not a huge chocolate fan, told me it was “too much chocolate”. He has eaten a piece every night… I made this for my birthday gathering with some girlfriends. My brother in law got me following the New York Times recipes and this was the inspiration.

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INGREDIENTS

  • 5 ounces bittersweet chocolate
  • 5 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
  • 9 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 6 large eggs, room temperature and separated
  •  Pinch of salt
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons brandy (I used Chambord)

DIRECTIONS

  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Position the oven rack in lower center of the oven. Cover the outside of a 9-inch springform pan with a double layer of foil. Using a microwave oven or double boiler, melt together chocolate and butter; set aside to cool slightly.
  2. In a bowl, whisk together egg yolks and 1/4 cup sugar until pale, frothy and increased in volume. Whisk in brandy, then fold in chocolate mixture. Place a pot of water over heat, and bring it to a boil. Using an electric mixer, whisk egg whites and salt until thick. Add remaining 1/4 cup sugar, and continue to whisk until stiff and shiny but not dry.
  3. Fold about 1/2 cup whisked egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it. Gently fold in remaining whites, being careful not to let the mixture deflate. Pour mixture into lightly-buttered springform pan, and place pan in a roasting pan. Add boiling water to roasting pan to come halfway up side of springform pan. Bake for 45 minutes; top of cake will be hard and inside will be gooey.
  4. Remove cake pan from water, and place on a rack to cool completely. Unwrap foil and remove side of springform pan. Place cake on a serving platter. Just before serving, dust top with confectioners’ sugar passed through a sieve or top with melted Chocolate chips and peanut butter.

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