#I used butter instead of corn syrup for the glossiness

[aggieharkness]

i want the cookie recipes from ur Lilia fic now

Hi!!! Since you didn't specify which of the two batches I'm going to give you both and the recipe for the icing.

Chocolate Chip Cookies:

280g of all-purpose flour

1 tsp of baking soda

A pinch of salt

170 g of melted butter (let it cool a bit before using)

150g brown sugar (you can use regular if you don't have it)

100g granulated sugar

1 large egg and 1 yolk

2 tsp of vanilla essence

225 g of chocolate chips (or as much as your heart desires)

You mix all the dry ingredients in one bowl, the wet ingredients in another and then mix it all together. It must be smooth but thick, then add the chocolate and bake at 170ºC for around 13 minutes, you can add a couple more if you feel like they are still raw, but not too much or they'll get hard once they've cooled.

Sugar cookies/Christmas cookies:

225 g of melted butter (same thing, let it cool a bit)

1 cup of caster sugar if you want them real smooth, regular sugar if you don't care if they are slightly lumpy.

1 and a half tsp of vanilla essence

1 large egg

3 cups of flour

A pinch of baking soda and salt.

The same process as with the other cookies, but when you mix them together they will get clumpy, it's exactly as it should be. Put the dough on a clean surface and knead it until combined then roll it until it's only like half a millimetre or a quarter of an inch and cut whatever shape you want. Bake at 180ºC for 10 minutes, you can add a few more if you think they are raw but be careful not to overcook them or they will be bricks instead of cookies.

Icing:

360 g of caster sugar/icing sugar/confectioners' sugar, however you want to call it.

The egg whites of two eggs

2 tsp of corn syrup (to make it glossy)

You mix the whites with the sugar and then add the syrup. Some people prefer to add water instead of syrup and a pinch of salt and vanilla. Whatever suits your taste. Once you've got the mix add whatever food colouring you want and start painting once the cookies have cooled or the icing will melt and end up ruined.

I hope you bake them. Let me know if they are any good. Happy Holidays!!!!

[bunnies-and-sunshine]

It’s that time of year again!

With Easter coming up, I thought I'd share another alternative to giving a bunny as an Easter gift--give bunny sugar cookies instead! Here's my recipe for soft sugar cookies and stackable sugar cookie icing:

Soft Sugar Cookies

4C (480 g) all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp ground cinnamon

2 sticks (8 oz) unsalted butter, softened

1 ½ C (298 g) sugar

1 large egg

2 tsp vanilla extract

½ C (120 g) sour cream

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth.  Beat in the egg, vanilla and sour cream until well blended.

Gradually stir in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.

Divide the dough in half and wrap tightly with plastic wrap and let chill at least 1 hour.

Pre-heat oven to 350F.

The cookie dough should be the consistency of play-doh before you roll it out onto a lightly floured surface.

Roll the dough out to ~1/8-1/4 inch thickness and cut out the shapes.  Make sure the dough is cool for the best shapes.

Place cookies at least 2 inches apart (figure 6-8 large cookies) on a parchment paper covered baking sheet.

Bake 5-10 minutes (longer for light colored baking sheets) or until the tops of the cookies look dry.

Let cool for a few seconds prior to removing them from the baking sheet. Let cool completely before decorating.                                               

Yield: ~3 dozen large cookies

Stackable Sugar Cookie Icing

3 C (374 g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted

2 Tbsp milk (add extra by ½ tsp increments to reach desired honey-like consistency)

2 Tbsp light corn syrup (no more or it won’t set up)

1 Tbsp (clear for best color) vanilla extract

paste food coloring

unsweetened cocoa powder for making chocolate icing (add a tsp at a time to the icing portion until desired flavor/consistency is reached)

Combine all of the wet ingredients in a large mixing bowl and gradually whisk in the confectioners’ sugar until smooth and glossy.

Cover any icing you aren’t going to use immediately with plastic wrap or spoon colored icing into Ziploc baggies to use as piping bags for later.  This icing forms a skin easily and will need to be mixed often otherwise.

Allow to dry for at least 2 hours before trying to stack them—drying time depends on the thickness of the icing layer and your humidity that day.

Yield:  Should be enough to cover the 3 dozen cookies in the prior recipe.

**You may want to double the icing amount for very large (~3.5") cookies.

Thanks for visiting the blog and we hope you all have a great weekend!  Stay safe out there and we'll be back with more bunny cuteness on Monday.

[mrsmamarhodey]

Gentle Tummy Masterpost

Since we're in tummy-flu season, I figured I'd put together a list of food ideas that are easy on angry systems. Please let me know what you think, or if you have some you want me to add!

Grains:

Polenta: corn grits, also called hominy. They're a staple of Italian and Latin and South American cooking. Eat plain, with maple syrup, or top with soft veggies.

Rice: a worldwide and versatile staple, white is the easiest on sensitive bellies. Eat plain, or as a bowl base for a whole bunch of veggies.

Rice noodles: typically Asian-style, these noodles are made with rice flour instead of the European wheat. Use as bowl bases, in stir fry, or in soup.

Oatmeal: a classic Sick Day food, dress it up with a little bit of maple syrup and bananas, and raspberries if you aren't someone that acid hurts.

Liquids: very very important! Staying hydrated means happy bells and a happy immune system. Here are some of the best.

Veggie broth: good to drink plain or as a base for a more complex soup, you can make your own, purchase concentrate, or purchase it ready-to-use, depending on your dedication and time.

Mushroom broth: a little bit richer and heavier than veggie broth, it used most often in Asian and central European cooking, I find. *May not be a great option if you have IBS or other digestive disorder.

Hot tea!: stick with herbals, they're easiest for your body to process, and don't contain the tannins that tea leaves do. Add honey and lemon juice for sore throats.

Water: a no-brainer. Just drink it. Jazz it up with lemon, mint, and cucumber if that floats your boat.

Mild Juices: try Carrot, Aloe Vera, Cucumber, and Pear juices, they're lower in acid and easier to digest.

Proteins: a lot of heavy meats and other animal products can be difficult to digest, and should be chosen based on how you're feeling, and if necessary, what your doctor recommends. Bear that in mind in this section.

Eggs: egg whites are a very good source of protein, while the yolks are high in fats. Mix and match as you see fit and necessary.

Creamy nut butters: sunflower, peanut, almond, and walnut can all be good options in small quantities. Remember though, these all are naturally high in oils, and can upset your tummy if you overload on them.

Tofu: I am a huge fan of compressed soybean curd. It can be very person-specific though, so try it in small doses.

White fish and chicken: light, bland meats in small portions work relatively well. Don't try to over-season them, and know your portion limits.

Fruits: general rule of thumb, stay away from citrus, other than lemon and lime in your water or as dressing.

Bananas: part of the B.R.A.T. diet, and good for everything. Period cramps, upset tummies, migraines, muscle soreness, and a bunch of other things too.

Apple sauce: lower in acid and fiber, it's even easier on your stomach than whole apples. Also part of the B.R.A.T. diet.

Apples: for people who can process fiber, apples are a great resource. Peeling them is also a positive when you can.

Veggies: look for foods with soluble fibers, and glossy colouring. Also, assume that all of these need to be cooked.

Eggplants: if they're adults, make sure you salt and rest them before cooking to keep them from getting bitter.

Carrots: good for sweet, good for savory, good for sauteing, baking, simmering, steaming, juicing, or anything else you can think of.

Spinach: wilt spinach down, but don't overcook it, it'll get slimy. Splash with a little lemon juice and some salt.

Kale, chard, bok choy: higher in fiber than spinach,and used the same way, it can be good wilted.

Sweet potatoes/regular potatoes: bake and eat plain, they do carry flavor on their own. They can also be used as starts for homemade pasta.

Squash: this includes butternut, acorn, spaghetti, and pumpkins. These are all able to be roasted, cut in half from top to bottom, place cut side down on a baking dish, and cover with about half an inch of water, then foil over the top. Bake at about 400℉ for roughly an hour, or look up specific instructions based on your type of squash. Also, don't eat the skin.

Herbs: not many spices are going to be safe for upset tummies, they're too astringent and pungent.

Basil

Coriander

Ginger

Lemongrass

Marjoram

Mint

Oregano

Parsley

Rosemary

Thyme

If this is helpful for you all, I'd be happy to do example recipes from items on this list. And as always, let me know if I get anything wrong, or I need to add anything!

[pantryplanet65-blog]

ciambellone, an italian tea cake

A ciambellone is a simple, sunny Italian tea cake with lemon zest and a rich crumb typically baked in a tube pan, which gives it a torus shape, i.e. the appearance of a doughnut, which is, in fact, what Google Translate tells me is the translation of ciambellone. As I can never resist the siren call of either an everyday cake or a doughnut, I am unequivocally here for this.

When someone told me last month the version at Caffe Marchio — which is described as a “rich, Italian-style bundt with a lemon glaze” — is one of her favorite cakes, and even found the recipe on the internet for me (subtle hint, there), my first thought was: but wait I already have a lemon cake that I know and love. Ina Garten’s assertively lemony lemon pound cake is a Top 5-level cake classic; you bring it to housewarmings, as host gifts, to teachers; everyone loves it. So, I broke the recipes out into proportions and found that the Caffe Marchio version uses oil instead of butter, more of it, a bit more sugar too, a combination of mascarpone and yogurt instead of buttermilk, and a lot less lemon. Why should I make a more rich, more sweet, and more mildly flavored cake than one I already like, you might ask? I mean, I did. So, I made them both, fully doubting that there was anything new worth needing to know in the land of citrusy tube cakes, and the ciambellone stopped me in my tracks.

It has a glorious, indescribably perfect crust, yes, crust. Even when I overbaked it, it was still one of the best parts of the cake, second only to the lush, plush crumb within that not the tiniest bit dry, no basting of simple syrup required. Rather than having to wait that impossible wait for it to fully cool to glaze it, you slather on a more glossy one when the cake is piping that sets into a finish that looks exactly like a glazed donut. How did I resist putting sprinkles on top of something called a doughnut? I don’t know, either, but I trust you’ll do the right thing.

Previously

One year ago: Best Hot Fudge Sauce Two years ago: Funnel Cake Three years ago: Herbed Summer Squash Pasta Bake and Chocolate Chunk Granola Bars Four years ago: Cherry Almond Dutch Baby Five years ago: Pickled Vegetable Sandwich Slaw Six years ago: Triple Berry Buttermilk Bundt Seven years ago: Blueberry Yogurt Multigrain Pancakes Eight years ago: Strawberry Ricotta Graham Tartlets, Crushed Peas with Smoky Sesame Dressing, and Chocolate Doughnut Holes Nine years ago: Spanikopita Triangles and Neapolitan Cake Ten years ago: Pistachio Petit-Four Cake and Sweet Cherry Pie Eleven years ago: Dilled Potato and Pickled Cucumber Salad

And for the other side of the world: Six Months Ago: Salted Butter Chocolate Chunk Shortbread 1.5 Years Ago: Pimento Cheese Potato Bites 2.5 Years Ago: Eggnog Waffles 3.5 Years Ago: Jelly Doughnuts and Endives with Oranges and Almonds 4.5 Years Ago: Eggnog Florentines, Linzer Torte, and Breakfast Slab Pie

Ciambellone, An Italian Tea Cake

Servings: 12

Time: About an hour

Source: Pastry Chef Jessica Weiss

Print

The cake keeps for days at room temperature and goes so well with all of the berries currently in season at breakfast, for an afternoon snack, or for dessert, ours was gone at a disappearance rate usually associated sunken jammy strawberries, streuseled blueberries, and marbled bananas.

Written below is an 80% level of the cake, as I’d found the original too voluminous for some bundts. Bundts are generally 10-cup or 12-cup; the one shown here is 10-cup and the original volume nearly overflowed and took so long to bake through, the edges got too dark, although they still tasted amazing. I’ve also shown this cake in a ring pan mostly because why make it a little doughnuty if you can make it a lot, right? For this pan, I recommend a 60% level of the original cake, as it holds only 7 cups.

This recipe recommends you use a plain, not Greek-style, yogurt. If you only have Greek yogurt (like me), simply replace the last tablespoon of yogurt with water. The original recipe calls for lemon zest in the glaze but I skip it because I thought the texture would be distracting.

Cake

2 cups (400 grams) granulated sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons fine sea or table salt

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

Finely grated zest of half an orange

1 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons (325 ml) neutral oil (such as sunflower, safflower, grapeseed or another vegetable oil)

3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon (about 185 grams) plain, not Greek, yogurt (see note)

1/2 cup (120 grams) mascarpone cheese

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon (20 ml) vanilla extract

4 large eggs

3 cups (390 grams) all-purpose flour

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

Glaze

1 cup (120 grams) powdered sugar

Scant 2 tablespoons (30 ml) corn syrup

About 3 tablespoons (45 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice

Make cake: Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Coat bundt or tube cake pan (check notes for size tips) with nonstick cooking spray and coat with granulated sugar. Knock out any excess sugar from pan.

Place sugar and salt in the bottom of a large bowl and use your fingertips to rub the zest into it. This abrasion helps release the most flavor from it. Whisk in oil, mascarpone, yogurt, and then eggs and vanilla until smooth. Sprinkle baking powder over batter and whisk it thoroughly into the batter, a good 10 turns around the bowl. Sift flour onto batter and use a rubber spatula to stir just until batter is smooth.

Drop batter in large scoopfuls equally around your cake mold, then smooth, and drop on counter a few times to ensure there are no trapped air bubbles. Bake for about 40 minutes (times will range by shape and volume of pan), checking in at the 30 minute mark to rotate the pan for even coloring, and to ensure it’s not baking faster than anticipated. Cake is done when a toothpick or tester comes out batter-free (crumbs are fine).

While the cake bakes, make the glaze: Whisk sugar, corn syrup, and 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice together until smooth, adding the last tablespoon of juice just if needed. You want this glaze thick, thicker than your regular drizzle glaze, because we want it to stick to the sides of the cake when it’s hot.

When cake is done, let it rest on a cooling rack for 3 to 5 minutes, then remove it from the pan — yes, while piping hot. Brush glaze evenly over the top of the cake, and sides if you wish. Chef Weiss says “Use all of the glaze! Don’t be cheap.” And I listen to her. Glaze will set as cake cools.

Cake is good at room temperature for 4 days. I loosely, really loosely, cover it with foil.

Source: https://smittenkitchen.com/2018/06/ciambellone-an-italian-tea-cake/

[jokehockey44-blog]

sunken black forest cake

My kids will be at least 25% candy for the rest of the week, as the season demands. If it doesn’t come individually wrapped, if the first, second, or third ingredient isn’t chocolate, a food dye, or high fructose corn syrup, if it doesn’t have a marketing tie-in with Spongebob or Legos, they’re not eating it. Which means, since they’ve now definitely left the room, we get this cake all for us. You’re welcome, because we’re not going to share it anyway.

This whole fall — save a brief but devoted two weeks of apple pie studies — I have craved chocolate almost nonstop, and I don’t mean at perfunctory square of 72% and calling it a day. I mean, chocolate éclairs and chocolate brownies and molten chocolate cakes and chocolate pot de cremes and so when I spied this riff on a black forest cake in Julia Turshen’s new cookbook, Now & Again, I really couldn’t think about anything else until I made it.

We’ve talked about Julia Turshen before. This avocado-cucumber salad remains my favorite thing I’ve spied on the side of a plate on Instagram, ever; these merguez patties are still a weeknight favorite. I’ve always loved the way she assembles meals for friends and family. She so naturally answers the forever question, but what should I serve with it?, that when I learned her new book was built around collections of recipe that both work together but also new recipes to make with their leftovers, I couldn’t wait to dig in. The menus are fun and delightfully unpredictable — Red-Checked Tablecloth Late Saturday Lunch but also a No-Stress Thanksgiving — but my favorite, the one I’d like to believe was written just for me, the girl who loved going to steakhouses when she was a vegetarian because the sides are so good, is the Steak House Dinner for Vegetarians. Maple syrup old fashioned! Wedge salad! Stuffed mushrooms! Charred broccoli! Baked potatoes with horseradish and cheddar! And as a finale: this cake.

Let’s be absolutely clear: this is not a traditional black forest cake. A black forest cake (the German Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte), is a chocolate layer cake sandwiched with whipped cream and boozy cherries, finished with shaved chocolate and more cherries. It’s fancy. It’s complex. We’ll make one… one day. But this is for today, with everything good about the layer cake, abbreviated: a fudgy-centered, puffy-edged flourless chocolate cake that sinks in the center after it bakes. This space perfectly allows for a raft of barely sweetened whipped cream. And then, instead of imagining for a moment that anyone wishes to chase down sour cherries in October, she recommends using storebought cherry preserves and adding kirsh. I found several online; this was my favorite (it reminded me of Luxardo cocktail cherries) but there are plenty of other great ones out there. Honestly, the cake doesn’t “need” it — it works without the cherry sauce — but it’s so good, I do. Grownups need candy too.

Previously

One year ago: Bakery-Style Butter Cookies Two years ago: Winter Squash Pancakes with Crispy Sage and Brown Butter and Broken Pasta with Pork Ragu Three years ago: Salted Peanut Butter Cookies, Baked Potatoes with Wild Mushroom Ragu and Twinkie Bundt Four years ago: Carrot Cake with Cider and Olive Oil, Homemade Harissa, and Cauliflower Cheese Five years ago: Apple Slab Pie and Potato and Broccoli Frittata Six years ago: Seven years ago: Homesick Texan Carnitas Eight years ago: Cauliflower and Parmesan Cake and Spiced Applesauce Cake Nine years ago: Apple Cider Doughnuts and Cauliflower with Almonds, Raisins and Capers Ten years ago: Meatballs and Spaghetti and Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad and Pumpkin Swirl Brownies Eleven years ago: Pumpkin Butter and Pepita Granola and Sweet Potato and Sausage Soup Twelve years ago: Easiest Baked Mac-and-Cheese

And for the other side of the world: Six Months Ago: Triple Coconut Cream Pie 1.5 Years Ago: Pistachio Cake 2.5 Years Ago: Sheet Pan Chicken Tikka, Perfect Garlic Bread and Shaved Asparagus Frittata 3.5 Years Ago: Obsessively Good Avocado Cucumber Salad and Strawberry Rhubarb Soda Syrup 4.5 Years Ago: Lamb Meatballs with Feta and Lemon

Sunken Black Forest Cake

Servings: 8 to 12

Time: 2hr 30mins

Source: Adapted from Now & Again

Print

This recipe is adapted from the flourless chocolate cake in the Buvette cookbook, a project Turshen worked on. However, in the Buvette, the recipe has more butter and sugar; in Turshen’s book, it has less. When I tested it, my happy place was in the middle — too little sugar and the cake was dry, too much and the sweetness of the preserves overwhelm — and that’s what I’ve shared below. The kirsh in the cherries both loosens them and gives them a little kick. If you don’t have it, try light rum. If you don’t use either, try a tablespoon each of lemon juice and water.

Cake

12 tablespoons (170 grams or 6 ounces) unsalted butter, cubed

12 ounces semi- or bittersweet chocolate chips (2 cups), or chopped chocolate

6 large eggs, separated

1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, distilled white vinegar, or apple cider vinegar

3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated sugar, divided

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

To finish

3/4 cup heavy cream

2 teaspoons granulated sugar, or more to taste

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 cup sour or regular cherry preserves

2 tablespoons kirsch (sour cherry brandy, optional)

Make the cake: Heat butter and chocolate together until about 75% melted in the microwave or over the lowest heat in a saucepan. Remove from heat and stir until it’s finished melting and is smooth. Let it cool while you prepare the rest of the cake.

Heat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Coat the bottom and sides of a 9-inch round cake pan with nonstick cooking spray and line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper. Set it aside.

Place egg whites in the bowl a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, in a large bowl and use a handheld electric mixer, or use a large whisk and a lot of elbow grease. Beat on medium-high speed until they’re foamy, then slowly pour in the lemon juice and half the sugar, continuing to beat until the egg whites are billowy and almost glossy and hold a soft peak. This is important: try not to overbeat them until they’re stiff and tight foam-looking; it leads to more dry cakes. Set the egg whites aside (if you only have one stand mixer bowl, scrape them into a separate bowl so you can use it again).

Place the egg yolks, remaining sugar, and salt into an empty bowl and beat on medium speed until thick and pale yellow, about 1 to 2 minutes. With the mixer running, slowly pour in the chocolate-butter mixture, and mix well. Use a rubber spatula to fold one-third of the beaten egg whites into the chocolate cake batter to lighten in. Fold half the remaining egg whites in carefully, then the second half. Turshen says to fold them into the batter by “cutting your spatula downward through the middle of the bowl, scraping it along the bottom of the bowl, and then pulling the mixture back up… folding them with the batter.”

Transfer batter to prepared cake pan and smooth the surface. Bake until the center is puffed up, and just barely firm/dry to the touch, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few dry crumbs clinging to it, about 35 to 40 minutes. Try not to overbake it (the chocolate at the edges will smell toasty) or that cake can taste dry at the edges. Place the cake on a wire rack to cool completely; it will sink in the center.

To finish: Once cake is completely cool, beat the cream, sugar, and vanilla together until medium peaks form (I overbeat mine, whoops). In a small bowl, combine combine the preserves and kirsh.

Use a knife to loose then edges of the cake from the pan and invert it onto your rack. Peel off parchment paper, then invert it back onto a serving plate. Spoon the whipped cream into the center and then the preserves mixture on top. Cut into wedges and serve.

Do ahead: Leftovers keep covered in the fridge for 3 days, however, if the cherry-cream appearance doesn’t look great after a couple hours, although this has no effect on taste. To avoid this, you can just put the cherries on as you’re serving the cake in slices.

Source: https://smittenkitchen.com/2018/10/sunken-black-forest-cake/

[silicabeast34-blog]

ciambellone, an italian tea cake

A ciambellone is a simple, sunny Italian tea cake with lemon zest and a rich crumb typically baked in a tube pan, which gives it a torus shape, i.e. the appearance of a doughnut, which is, in fact, what Google Translate tells me is the translation of ciambellone. As I can never resist the siren call of either an everyday cake or a doughnut, I am unequivocally here for this.

When someone told me last month the version at Caffe Marchio — which is described as a “rich, Italian-style bundt with a lemon glaze” — is one of her favorite cakes, and even found the recipe on the internet for me (subtle hint, there), my first thought was: but wait I already have a lemon cake that I know and love. Ina Garten’s assertively lemony lemon pound cake is a Top 5-level cake classic; you bring it to housewarmings, as host gifts, to teachers; everyone loves it. So, I broke the recipes out into proportions and found that the Caffe Marchio version uses oil instead of butter, more of it, a bit more sugar too, a combination of mascarpone and yogurt instead of buttermilk, and a lot less lemon. Why should I make a more rich, more sweet, and more mildly flavored cake than one I already like, you might ask? I mean, I did. So, I made them both, fully doubting that there was anything new worth needing to know in the land of citrusy tube cakes, and the ciambellone stopped me in my tracks.

It has a glorious, indescribably perfect crust, yes, crust. Even when I overbaked it, it was still one of the best parts of the cake, second only to the lush, plush crumb within that not the tiniest bit dry, no basting of simple syrup required. Rather than having to wait that impossible wait for it to fully cool to glaze it, you slather on a more glossy one when the cake is piping that sets into a finish that looks exactly like a glazed donut. How did I resist putting sprinkles on top of something called a doughnut? I don’t know, either, but I trust you’ll do the right thing.

Previously

One year ago: Best Hot Fudge Sauce Two years ago: Funnel Cake Three years ago: Herbed Summer Squash Pasta Bake and Chocolate Chunk Granola Bars Four years ago: Cherry Almond Dutch Baby Five years ago: Pickled Vegetable Sandwich Slaw Six years ago: Triple Berry Buttermilk Bundt Seven years ago: Blueberry Yogurt Multigrain Pancakes Eight years ago: Strawberry Ricotta Graham Tartlets, Crushed Peas with Smoky Sesame Dressing, and Chocolate Doughnut Holes Nine years ago: Spanikopita Triangles and Neapolitan Cake Ten years ago: Pistachio Petit-Four Cake and Sweet Cherry Pie Eleven years ago: Dilled Potato and Pickled Cucumber Salad

And for the other side of the world: Six Months Ago: Salted Butter Chocolate Chunk Shortbread 1.5 Years Ago: Pimento Cheese Potato Bites 2.5 Years Ago: Eggnog Waffles 3.5 Years Ago: Jelly Doughnuts and Endives with Oranges and Almonds 4.5 Years Ago: Eggnog Florentines, Linzer Torte, and Breakfast Slab Pie

Ciambellone, An Italian Tea Cake

Servings: 12

Time: About an hour

Source: Pastry Chef Jessica Weiss

Print

The cake keeps for days at room temperature and goes so well with all of the berries currently in season at breakfast, for an afternoon snack, or for dessert, ours was gone at a disappearance rate usually associated sunken jammy strawberries, streuseled blueberries, and marbled bananas.

Written below is an 80% level of the cake, as I’d found the original too voluminous for some bundts. Bundts are generally 10-cup or 12-cup; the one shown here is 10-cup and the original volume nearly overflowed and took so long to bake through, the edges got too dark, although they still tasted amazing. I’ve also shown this cake in a ring pan mostly because why make it a little doughnuty if you can make it a lot, right? For this pan, I recommend a 60% level of the original cake, as it holds only 7 cups.

This recipe recommends you use a plain, not Greek-style, yogurt. If you only have Greek yogurt (like me), simply replace the last tablespoon of yogurt with water. The original recipe calls for lemon zest in the glaze but I skip it because I thought the texture would be distracting.

Cake

2 cups (400 grams) granulated sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons fine sea or table salt

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

Finely grated zest of half an orange

1 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons (325 ml) neutral oil (such as sunflower, safflower, grapeseed or another vegetable oil)

3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon (about 185 grams) plain, not Greek, yogurt (see note)

1/2 cup (120 grams) mascarpone cheese

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon (20 ml) vanilla extract

4 large eggs

3 cups (390 grams) all-purpose flour

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

Glaze

1 cup (120 grams) powdered sugar

Scant 2 tablespoons (30 ml) corn syrup

About 3 tablespoons (45 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice

Make cake: Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Coat bundt or tube cake pan (check notes for size tips) with nonstick cooking spray and coat with granulated sugar. Knock out any excess sugar from pan.

Place sugar and salt in the bottom of a large bowl and use your fingertips to rub the zest into it. This abrasion helps release the most flavor from it. Whisk in oil, mascarpone, yogurt, and then eggs and vanilla until smooth. Sprinkle baking powder over batter and whisk it thoroughly into the batter, a good 10 turns around the bowl. Sift flour onto batter and use a rubber spatula to stir just until batter is smooth.

Drop batter in large scoopfuls equally around your cake mold, then smooth, and drop on counter a few times to ensure there are no trapped air bubbles. Bake for about 40 minutes (times will range by shape and volume of pan), checking in at the 30 minute mark to rotate the pan for even coloring, and to ensure it’s not baking faster than anticipated. Cake is done when a toothpick or tester comes out batter-free (crumbs are fine).

While the cake bakes, make the glaze: Whisk sugar, corn syrup, and 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice together until smooth, adding the last tablespoon of juice just if needed. You want this glaze thick, thicker than your regular drizzle glaze, because we want it to stick to the sides of the cake when it’s hot.

When cake is done, let it rest on a cooling rack for 3 to 5 minutes, then remove it from the pan — yes, while piping hot. Brush glaze evenly over the top of the cake, and sides if you wish. Chef Weiss says “Use all of the glaze! Don’t be cheap.” And I listen to her. Glaze will set as cake cools.

Cake is good at room temperature for 4 days. I loosely, really loosely, cover it with foil.

Source: https://smittenkitchen.com/2018/06/ciambellone-an-italian-tea-cake/

[bunnies-and-sunshine]

Bunny Sugar Cookies!

With Easter coming up, I thought I'd share another alternative to giving a bunny as an Easter gift--give bunny sugar cookies instead! Here's my recipe for soft sugar cookies and stackable sugar cookie icing:

Soft Sugar Cookies

4C (480 g) all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp ground cinnamon

2 sticks (8 oz) unsalted butter, softened

1 ½ C (298 g) sugar

1 large egg

2 tsp vanilla extract

½ C (120 g) sour cream

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth.  Beat in the egg, vanilla and sour cream until well blended.

Gradually stir in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.

Divide the dough in half and wrap tightly with plastic wrap and let chill at least 1 hour.

Pre-heat oven to 350F.

The cookie dough should be the consistency of play-doh before you roll it out onto a lightly floured surface.

Roll the dough out to ~1/8 inch thickness and cut out the shapes.

Make sure the dough is cool for the best shapes.

Place cookies at least 2 inches apart (figure 6-8 large cookies) on a parchment paper covered baking sheet.

Bake 5-10 minutes (longer for light colored baking sheets) or until the tops of the cookies look dry.

Let cool for a few seconds prior to removing them from the baking sheet. Let cool completely before decorating.                                               

Yield: ~3 dozen large cookies

Stackable Sugar Cookie Icing

3 C (374 g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted

2 Tbsp milk (add extra by ½ tsp increments to reach desired honey-like consistency)

2 Tbsp light corn syrup (no more or it won’t set up)

1 Tbsp (clear for best color) vanilla extract

paste food coloring

Combine all of the wet ingredients in a large mixing bowl and gradually whisk in the confectioners’ sugar until smooth and glossy.

Cover any icing you aren’t going to use immediately with plastic wrap or spoon colored icing into Ziploc baggies to use as piping bags for later.

This icing forms a skin easily and will need to be mixed often otherwise.

Allow to dry for at least 2 hours before trying to stack them—drying time depends on the thickness of the icing layer and your humidity that day.

Yield:  Should be enough to cover the 3 dozen cookies in the prior recipe.

Thanks for visiting the blog and we hope you have a great weekend!  We'll be back on Sunday with a special holiday post.