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Peachy Keen Pound Cake

YumSugar — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 05:30:09 -0700

A few weeks ago, a large bag of ripe white peaches arrived at the Sugar HQ. We ate as many as we could, but on Friday afternoon I noticed that there were quite a few left. Knowing that they wouldn't last the weekend, I brought them home and decided to make a sweet breakfast treat for the office.I found a recipe for a peach pound cake, and while not particularly healthy, it was absolutely delicious. The peaches added a nice fragrant flavor, and the yogurt allowed for a perfectly moist crumb. To get the recipe, just read more.

Peach Pound Cake
From Taste of Home

Ingredients

1 cup butter (no substitutes), softened
2 cups sugar
6 eggs
1 teaspoon almond extract*
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sour cream**
2 cups diced fresh or frozen peaches***
Confectioners' sugar (optional)

Directions

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Beat in extracts. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; add to the batter alternately with sour cream.
Fold in the peaches.
Pour into a greased and floured 10-in. fluted tube pan.
Bake at 350° for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.
Dust with confectioners' sugar if desired.

Makes 1 cake, 12-16 servings.

*I found the amount of almond extract to be a bit overwhelming, if I make this cake again, I would cut the amount in half.

**This recipe calls for sour cream, but I ended up using Trader Joe's organic lowfat yogurt instead. If you don't have a Trader Joe's near you, try Wallaby Vanilla yogurt. They have a similar liquid-y texture.

***Use firm but ripe peaches. Mine were overripe, and should have been pureed in order to evenly distribute the peach flavor.

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Trifle Two Ways - Beginner and Expert

partysugar — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 09:56:11 -0800

If you are sick of heavy chocolate desserts, consider making a trifle for your next dinner party. A cold dish that is best when made in advance, a trifle consists of layers of cake, custard, fruits, whipped cream, and syrup. While the variations are endless, most trifles are served in a large, clear glass dish. I've found two recipes for you to experiment with - one uses help from the grocery store and the other is one hundred percent homemade - give both a try or combine elements from each recipe to make your own special trifle. To get started, read more.

Beginner Trifle
From Everyday Food magazine

1/3 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1/4 cup dry sherry
2 packages frozen raspberries (12 ounces each), thawed
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup sugar
1 store-bought pound cake (12 ounces), cut into 3/4-inch-thick slices
1/3 cup sliced almonds, coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 350.
Spread coconut on a baking sheet; toast until browned, about 6 minutes.
Set aside. In a bowl, combine sherry, berries, and lemon zest; set aside.
In another bowl, with a whisk or an electric mixer, beat cream and sugar until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
Line the bottom of a 4-quart glass serving bowl with a layer of cake slices, packing them tightly. Spreading evenly, top with half the raspberry mixture, then half the cream.
Add a second layer of cake slices, raspberry mixture, and cream; sprinkle with coconut and almonds. Serve immediately, or for best texture, refrigerate, covered, overnight.

Serves 12.

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Expert Trifle
From Gourmet magazine

For cake
1/2 cup all-purpose flour plus additional for dusting
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup unsalted shelled pistachios
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
4 large egg whites
For assembling trifle
Sherry syrup, recipe below
Vanilla custard, recipe below
Rhubarb purée, recipe below
For topping
1 cup chilled heavy cream
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon light Fino Sherry
2 tablespoons unsalted shelled pistachios, chopped
Special equipment: a 15- by 10- by 1-inch baking pan; parchment paper; a 3- to 3 1/2-qt glass trifle or soufflé dish

Make cake: put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Butter baking pan, then line bottom with parchment paper and butter paper. Dust pan with flour, knocking out excess.
Pulse together 1/2 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, pistachios, and salt in a food processor until pistachios are very finely ground (mixture will resemble a slightly grainy flour). Transfer mixture to a large bowl and whisk in yolks, milk, and extracts.
Beat egg whites with a pinch of salt using an electric mixer at medium-high speed until they hold soft peaks.
Reduce speed to low, then add remaining 1/2 cup sugar, a little at a time. Increase speed to high and beat until whites hold stiff, glossy peaks.
Fold one third of whites into batter to lighten, then fold in remaining whites gently but thoroughly.
Pour batter into baking pan, spreading evenly, and rap pan against counter to release any air bubbles.
Bake cake until golden and springy to the touch, 20 to 25 minutes.
Cool cake in pan on a rack 20 minutes.
Remove pan (with cake) from rack and cover rack with a sheet of parchment, then invert rack over cake and flip cake onto rack. Carefully peel off parchment from bottom of cake and cool completely.
Assemble trifle: slide cake (on parchment) onto a work surface and arrange with a long side nearest you. Trim cake with a serrated knife to make a 12- by 9-inch rectangle, reserving trimmings, then brush cake and trimmings with Sherry syrup.
Halve cake crosswise, then cut each half into thirds first lengthwise and then crosswise to total 18 (3- by 2-inch) pieces. Halve each piece diagonally to form triangles.
Spoon 1/2 cup custard into bottom of trifle dish. Arrange half of triangles over custard in 2 layers, pressing short ends of triangles against side of dish (there should be small spaces in between slices for custard to run through).
Arrange half of trimmings in the center, cutting them as needed to fit. Spread 1 1/2 cups custard over cake, then spread 1 cup rhubarb purée over custard.
Cover with remaining cake and trimmings in same manner, then spread remaining custard over. Spread remaining rhubarb purée over custard, leaving a 1-inch border around edge. Chill, covered tightly with plastic wrap, at least 8 hours.
Make topping just before serving: beat cream with sugar and Sherry using cleaned beaters until it just holds soft peaks.
Spoon cream over top of trifle, then sprinkle with pistachios.

Serves 8.

Make ahead: trifle can be chilled up to 2 days.

Sherry Syrup

1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
6 tablespoons light Fino Sherry

Bring water, sugar, and Sherry to a boil in a small heavy saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved, then boil until reduced to about 3/4 cup, about 5 minutes.
Cool syrup completely before using, about 1 hour.

Makes about 3/4 cup.

Make ahead: syrup can be made 1 week ahead and chilled in an airtight container

Vanilla Custard

3 cups whole milk
8 large egg yolks
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla

Heat milk in a 2 1/2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat until hot but not boiling.
While milk heats, whisk together yolks, sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a heatproof bowl until smooth.
Add 1 cup hot milk to yolk mixture in a stream, whisking, then add remaining milk, whisking constantly. Transfer mixture to saucepan and cook over moderately low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened and registers 170°F on thermometer, 6 to 10 minutes (do not boil).
Immediately force custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl and stir in butter and vanilla.
Chill custard, its surface covered with wax paper, until cold and thickened, at least 3 hours. Custard can be cooled quickly by setting bowl in a larger bowl of ice and cold water and stirring occasionally.

Makes about 4 cups.

Make ahead: custard can be chilled, its surface covered with wax paper and bowl covered tightly with plastic wrap, up to 2 days. Special equipment: an instant-read thermometer

Rhubarb Puree

Vegetable oil for greasing pan
2 lb rhubarb stalks, cut into 1-inch pieces
2/3 cup confectioners sugar

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly oil a large shallow baking pan with vegetable oil.
Arrange rhubarb in 1 layer in pan and sift confectioners sugar evenly over top. Bake, stirring occasionally, until rhubarb is very tender, 25 to 30 minutes.
Transfer rhubarb to a food processor and purée until smooth. Force through a medium-mesh sieve into a bowl, discarding solids, and cool completely. Rhubarb purée can be cooled quickly by setting bowl in a larger bowl of ice and cold water and stirring occasionally.

Makes about 2 cups.

Make ahead: rhubarb purée can be made 3 days ahead and chilled in an airtight container.

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Want Fries With That Hot Dog Cake?

YumSugar — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 11:01:38 -0700

When I found out that today is Hot Dog Day, I knew I had to share this fun creation. It really takes "semi-homemade" and pushes it to the next level, everything can be bought, but the end result is completely unique. The Hot Dog and Fries Cake is a completely edible, ridiculously sweet cake shaped to look like a hot dog in a bun and french fries. All you need is a loaf cake, a few Twinkies, red frosting, yellow icing, red icing and some green fruit. If you'd rather not use Twinkies, substitute with different kind of cake in the center. Either way, your little ones - and big ones too - are going to love this treat.

To see how to assemble one for yourself, read more

Hot Dog and Fries Cake
From Family Fun

1 baked loaf cake
2 Twinkies
1 cup hot-dog red frosting (red and brown mixed)
Yellow icing in a tube
Red icing in a tube
Green fruit slices or gumdrops, diced (optional)

To make the hot dog bun, cut the lengthwise sides of the loaf off (as shown), saving the extra cake for the French fries. Remove the cake center and place the two Twinkies in the "bun."
Frost them hot-dog red. Add a squirt of mustard (yellow icing) ketchup (red icing), or relish (diced gumdrops or fruit slices).

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Oh To Invent A Dessert!

partysugar — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 03:19:12 -0700

254 years ago on today's date, an American physician named Benjamin Thompson, Count von Rumford (some name, huh?) was born. He invented a pressure cooker kitchen stove thing-a-ma-jig and more importantly is credited with creating Baked Alaska (how awesome would it be if you invented a dessert???). Baked Alaska is a dessert composed of a sponge cake topped with a layer of ice cream. Instead of frosting the cake, you blanket it with a thick coating of meringue. Then it is baked in the oven until the meringue is caramelized and golden brown - about five minutes. The meringue insulates the ice cream and prevents it from melting. The end result is a spectacular and show-stopping dessert. To experiment with baked Alaska in your kitchen, in honor of old Count Rumford's birthday, just read more

Baked Alaska
From Gourmet magazine

1 (10 3/4-oz) frozen pound cake, not thawed
2 pints super premium strawberry ice cream (not 1 quart) or any other flavor of ice cream
6 large egg whites
1/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup sugar

Cut frozen cake crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Line bottom of a 9-inch pie plate with cake slices, some halved or cut into pieces to fill in gaps. Halve remaining cake slices lengthwise and place around edge of plate. Patch up any holes with pieces of remaining cake slices. (You may have a couple of slices left over.)
Cut paper containers from ice cream and slice each pint into 3 rounds. Arrange 3 rounds in 1 layer on top of cake in pie plate and cut each remaining round into 6 wedges. Fill holes in ice cream layer with some of ice cream wedges and mound remainder in center of pie plate. Freeze 25 minutes.
Preheat oven to 450°F.
After ice cream and cake have been freezing 20 minutes, beat egg whites and a pinch of salt with an electric mixer until foamy, then add lemon juice and continue to beat until whites hold soft peaks. Gradually add sugar, beating, and continue beating until whites just hold stiff, glossy peaks.
Remove ice-cream base from freezer and mound meringue over it, spreading to edge of plate to cover ice cream completely. Bake in middle of oven until golden brown, about 6 minutes. Serve immediately.

Serves 8.

Make Ahead: The base can be assembled 2 days ahead and frozen, tightly wrapped. Make meringue and, after topping base, bake Alaska 10 minutes.

Note: The egg whites in this recipe may not be fully cooked. If salmonella is a problem in your area, you can use powdered egg whites such as Just Whites.

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Versatile Pound Cake

partysugar — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 16:02:58 -0800

Having a great pound cake recipe in your repertoire is a must for the avid baker. It's highly versatile and can be jazzed up with a ton of different things: chocolate, whipped cream, fresh fruit, syrups, jams, and glazes to name a few. Or you could enjoy a slice of pound cake, in all its simple glory, as an afternoon snack with a frothy cappuccino - like I plan on doing when I make this treat. To make this cake, which is almost as easy as making a cake from a box, read more

Pound Cake
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
2 cups sugar
1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 tsp. vanilla
6 eggs
2 cups flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350ºF.
Beat butter in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed 1 minutes. Gradually add sugar, beating well after each addition. Beat an additional 5 minutes or until very light and fluffy.
Add cream cheese and vanilla; beat 1 minute. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Combine flour, baking powder and salt.
Add to butter mixture. Beat 1 minute or until well blended.
Pour batter into greased and floured 12-cup fluted tube pan or 10-inch tube pan.
Bake 1 hour or until golden brown.
Cool 10 minutes; loosen from sides of pan with spatula or knife and gently remove cake. Cool completely on wire rack.

Serves 12.

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52 Weeks of Baking: Orange Blossom Pound Cake

YumSugar — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 13:29:39 -0700

As I was leaving work yesterday, it dawned on me that I had not baked anything this week. Panicking, I said to PartySugar, "Gah, I don't have a lot of time, what should I make?" Surprisingly, she handed me a printout for a Sour Cream Pound Cake and said, "Bake this, I printed out two copies on accident." I checked out the recipe, decided that it sounded simple and tasty and thought, sure why not?! The only ingredient that wasn't in my pantry was sour cream, so I popped by the cornerstore and a little while later I was noshing on pound cake cupcakes (the easy to whip up - no mixer necessary - recipe has enough batter for a full loaf and a few cupcakes extra). To make this lovely cake tonight (honest, it's simple, just give yourself a little time - it needs to stay in the oven for over an hour), read more

Orange Blossom Sour Cream Pound Cake
Adapted from Sour Cream Pound Cake at The Wandering Eater

This recipe whips up a lot of extra batter. I had enough for the loaf as well as 10 cupcakes. Also, the orange blossom flavor was very subtle and only noticeable in the crust - an additional bit of orange extract or fresh orange peel would have been good. An orange blossom flavored whip cream as accompaniment would have been nice too.

2 sticks of butter
3 cups sugar
1 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 large eggs
powdered sugar (optional)
ground ginger (optional)
ground cinnamon (optional)
2 tsp orange blossom water (Note: ingredient picture shows vanilla and a lemon, but I changed my mind and switched to orange blossom water. It's a little difficult to find, but check the ethnic aisle or specialty stores.)

Preheat oven to 325F.
Grease and flour a 8x4 inch loaf pan.
Sift the baking soda, baking powder, salt, and flours together. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl (or mixer), cream the butter and sugar together.My butter was frozen, so I grated it first in order for it to cream quickly.
Add the sour cream and mix until incorporated.
Next add 1 egg, mix thoroughly, then add a portion of the flour mixture, mix until blended. Continue to alternate between eggs and flour, mixing thoroughly each time.
Add orange blossom water (or 2 tsp of of other flavoring).
Pour the mixture into prepared pan. Smooth with spatula.
Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes or until the toothpick comes clean when inserted. The crust will be golden brown and the middle should be firm (shake the pan, if it wiggles, it's not ready).
Remove from oven, cool in pan for 15 minutes, invert on to plate. Dust with sifted powdered sugar.

Note: There is a lot of leftover batter. Either make another smaller loaf (if you have the proper pan) or make pound cupcakes. Cupcakes will take about 15-20 minutes at 325F. Only fill them half way, else grease/flour the top of the pans, there will be "stickage" if you don't!)

Note2: For the cupcakes, I added a few "pinches" of cinnamon and ground ginger to the leftover batter. The pound cake was nice without it, but it added a little more depth to the mini guys.

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Orange Ricotta Poundcake = Perfect Holiday Gift

partysugar — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 11:11:39 -0800

The other day my dad watched Giada De Laurentiis make a scrumptious pound cake. Moments after she took the cake from the oven he was on the phone begging me to make it. Never one to disappoint daddio, I made it over the weekend. The recipe is super easy and the cake is absolutely divine.

Ricotta cheese adds a smooth, creamy texture and orange zest gives the cake a delicious, holiday flavor. It would also make a marvelous hostess gift when wrapped up in decorative paper and ribbon. I served it with orange wedges for garnish and a simple Amaretto whipped cream. For the recipe, read more

Ricotta Orange Poundcake
From Giada De Laurentiis

1 1/2 cups cake flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, room temperature, plus more to grease the baking pan
1 1/2 cups whole milk ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cups sugar, plus 1 tablespoon
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 orange, zested
2 tablespoons Amaretto
Powdered sugar, for dusting
1 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon Amaretto
1 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-x-5-x-3-inch loaf pan with butter.
In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir to combine.
Using an electric mixer, cream together the butter, ricotta, and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. With the machine running, add the eggs one at a time.
Add the vanilla, orange zest, and Amaretto until combined. Add the dry ingredients, a small amount at a time, until just incorporated.
Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick comes out clean and the cake is beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan, about 45 to 50 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Using a mesh sieve, dust the cooled cake with powdered sugar.
Meanwhile, beat the heavy cream in a clean bowl until soft peaks form. Add the sugar, Amaretto, and vanilla if using. Beat until stiff peaks form. Transfer to a decorative serving bowl.
To serve, slice the cake and serve with the whipped cream.

Serves 8–10.

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Yummy Link: Dessert Sandwich

YumSugar — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 08:13:33 -0700

Don't let this sandwich fool you. Although it appears to be a standard lunch sandwich, it's actually a dessert sandwich made from white chocolate poundcake and strawberry ice cream. - No Special Effects

Peach Pound Cake

YumSugar — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 22:15:43 -0700

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Homemade Cupcake Tower Is Pretty Delicious

partysugar — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 10:40:20 -0700

A couple of weeks ago I helped assemble a cupcake tower for a friend's wedding. The cupcakes were created by Grace Park, an experienced home cook and avid baker. Although this was Park's second time baking a wedding dessert, making and transporting over 100 cupcakes is no easy task.

After testing several recipes with the bride, Park selected two flavors of cupcakes - chocolate raspberry and lemon pound cake - and topped both with a Swiss meringue frosting. The recipes were from The Australian Women's Weekly Cupcakes and Fairy Cakes cookbook, and the final look of the cupcake tower was inspired by this cake.

For those interested in making wedding cupcakes, Park recommends practicing in advance, thinking out storage, and arranging for helpers to transport the finished cakes. Have you ever made a wedding cake? Or wedding cupcakes? Share your experience below!

To look at a gallery of the cupcake process and check out the completed tower, read more.

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