Friends Food Family

Lemon Glazed Blueberry Cake

Now that farm season is in full swing, atleast in New England, there are great opportunities for strawberries, zucchini, summer squash, tomatoes, raspberries and soon blueberries. As you enter the supermarkets, there are plenty of blueberries to be had...locally we will be able to pick our own in about a month. So, now is the time to test some amazing blueberry recipes which you can enjoy for the remainder of the summer. 

The Boston Globe recently ran an article on 6 delicious blueberry cakes. After reading the ingredients of each, I decided to go with the Glazed Blueberry Cake. Why this recipe? First, it had a lemon glaze for the cake. I love when blueberries and lemons are showcased in a dessert. It gives a refreshing flavor to the dish. Second, I had a container of buttermilk which I wanted to use and the recipe called for milk. Perfect substitution.

The cake came together quickly and I was really intrigued by the separation of egg yolks and egg whites. I was wondering if it would make a difference in the lightness of the cake, especially if I was adding buttermilk which can be heavy.

Well, the results were delicious. The cake was very moist and even though there was a denseness to the cake, it was light. Jeff thought it was one of the best cakes he has ever eaten. The sweet and sourness of the glaze with the moist cake with flavors of buttermilk and fresh blueberries was melt in your mouth AMAZING! Because it is made in a 9 x 13 baking pan, it allowed for everyone to grab chunks of blueberry cake for breakfast all week long. This is definitely on my short list of recipes to make again. It is perfect for breakfast, snack time or dessert, but I enjoyed it best when it was still warm from the oven. Probably might taste good as a cupcake, too...just a suggestion.

Ingredients:

1 pint (2 cups) of fresh blueberries
3 cups of flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
2 eggs, separated
1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter, at room temperature
2 cups of white sugar
1 cup of whole milk (we used buttermilk)

Preparation:

Set the oven at 350 degrees. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Dust it with flour, tapping out the excess.

In a bowl, toss the blueberries with 1 tablespoon of the flour.

In another bowl, whisk the remaining flour, baking powder, and salt.

In a third bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff.

In an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar. Beat in the yolks, one at a time.

With the mixer set on its lowest speed, beat the flour mixture into the batter alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with flour.

Remove the bowl from the mixer stand. Fold in the whites, then fold in the blueberries.

Bake the cake for 40 to 45 minutes or until it pulls away from the sides of the pan and the top springs back when pressed with a fingertip.

GLAZE

1/2 cup of confectioners’ sugar
1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind

In a bowl, sift the confectioners’ sugar. Stir in the lemon juice and rind. Add enough additional lemon juice to make a mixture that pours easily.

Drizzle the glaze over the cake.

Visitandine with Strawberries - Better than Strawberry Shortcake

 

This weekend is probably one of the last times you can pick your own strawberries in the New England area. Last weekend we went to C.N. Smith Farms (again) to get more strawberries because we were entertaining family all weekend and knew we wanted to serve a "strawberry" dessert.

Jeff had found a visitandine recipe in Dorie Greenspan's - Around my French Table. Dorie explains that "visitandine is a very simple white cake with an elegant small grain crumb and a lovely springy sponge, and a pure butter and sugar flavor."  It's perfect plain or paired with glazes, frosting, jams or fruits.  Having made strawberry shortcake quite a few times, we thought this would be a nice change.

As we read through the recipe, there was a suggestion that you could use a browned butter instead of the melted butter, giving the visitandine slight flavors of carmel and hazelnuts. We thought that using the browned butter might be different since we love changing up recipes, even if it meaning using browned butter VS melted butter. After we browned the butter, it tasted very nutty...it is amazing how browning butter can change the taste of your product. Outside of having to whip together 4 egg whites - and use the yolks to make thumbprint cookies - the cake was very easy to make and cooked up in about 30 minutes.

We served the shortcake in small dessert bowls. We found a cookie cutter that was the perfect match to the dessert bowls so we cut out rounds and put them in the base and put the strawberries and whipped cream on top. You can cut the cake in wedges or squares depending on the number of people you have to serve. The strawberry shortcake with the visitandine was delicious. Because of the spongy-ness of the cake, it absorbed the strawberry juices making the dessert incredibly smooth and delicious. The caramel, nutty taste of the cake gave the shortcake a flavor that truly complemented the rest of the ingredients. After the first round of servings and then a few seconds, everyone agreed that it was definitely different from true shortcake and thought it tasted better.

There is nothing better than a homemade cake, freshly picked strawberries and fresh whipped cream when it comes to making strawberry shortcake. Celebrate the 4th with this easy white cake recipe, your strawberries and whipped cream will thank you!

Ingredients for Strawberry Shortcake:

Ingredients for visitandine:

4 large egg whites, preferably at room temperature
3/4 cup of all-purpose flour
2/3 cup of white sugar
a pinch of salt
7 tablespoons of butter, melted and slightly cooled (we used brown butter - see below)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Ingredients for strawberries:
1 pint of strawberries, hulled and sliced
2 tablespoons of sugar

Ingredients for whipped cream:
2 cups of whipping cream
1 tablespoon of sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla

Preparation:

Brown Butter:
Place butter in a small sauce pan. Turn up the heat once the butter is melted so that it begins to boil, gently. Watching carefully, continue to simmer the butter until it turns a golden brown. As soon as you get the color needed, take the butter off the heat and place in a heatproof bowl to stop the cooking process. Allow butter to cool.

Visitandine:
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Choose a pan of your liking (we used a 10 inch round cake pan). Note that cooking time is based on a 10 inch pan, longer cook time for smaller pans, shorter cook time for larger pans.

Butter the pan and line it with a circle of parchment paper; butter the parchment.

Using a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or a large bowl with a hand mixer, whip the egg whites until they hold firm peaks but are still glossy.

In a another bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar and salt. Pour in the melted butter, followed by the vanilla, and, using the whisk, stir until the ingredients are fully blended. The mixture will clump and look "slightly hopeless" but continue stirring gently to mix.

With the whisk, slide half of the egg whites onto the batter, whisk to stir them in gently. Fold in the remaining egg whites and again whisk gently. Scrape the batter into the pan and jiggle the pan to even the top.

Bake the cake for 33 to 38 minutes, or until it's beautifully browned and starting to pull away from the sides of the pan. Once out of the oven, run a blunt knife around the edge of the cake. Still in the pan, place on a cooling rack for 3 minutes, then invert the cake onto the rack, remove the parchment, and allow the cake to cool to room temperature.

Strawberries:
Place cut strawberries in a bowl with the 2 tablespoons of sugar. This allows the juices to be released from the strawberries. You can do this prior to baking the cake and they can be refrigerated until ready to serve.

Whipping cream:
Place whipping cream, vanilla and sugar in a bowl and using a stand or hand mixer, whip the cream until slightly stiff peaks form. Whip cream just prior to serving the visitandine.

The visitandine can be cut into wedges and served or you can do as we did and using a cookie cutter, cut circles and place them into the bottom of a round serving bowl. Place strawberries on top, followed by whipped cream. Repeat as many times as you would like to enjoy them incredibly delicious dish! This serves up to 8 people.

Epicurious' Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cocoa Cream Cheese Frosting

 

Tomorrow, I am presenting marketing strategies using my Friends Food Family website to the Women's Business Network in Mansfield. This is a great group of women who own small businesses, network like no other and bring their face to face relationships on-line. We are going to discuss ways of helping each other grow our businesses on-line using social media.

Since I am a food blog, I wanted to bring a sweet treat. I decided that I was going to bring cupcakes because...

1. People will eat a cupcake quicker than a piece of cake.

2. Easter is coming and I love to find new cake recipes very year for my 20+ guests.

I decided last week I wanted to make a red velvet cupcake because everytime I go to a  bakery, they are showcasing red velvet cupcakes with a cream cheese frosting. I knew that I also wanted to make a rich chocolate cupcake because I am a chocoholic and lastly, I wanted to bake something that was fruity. Sweet, rich and delicious.

Epicurious had a great Red Velvet Cupcake recipe with great recommendations and it only made 18-24 cupcakes...perfect. It was really easy to put together and the color was amazing. It was interesting to watch this cupcake mixture come to colorful life. This recipe didn't have a frosting to match. I found a cream cheese frosting that was too heavy in cream cheese. I adapted the recipe and decided to add a hint of cocoa, not necessarily for taste but color. The red velvet cupcake recipe had a hint of cocoa, why not add it to the frosting.

So far, the response has been positive. My family loved them...then again, they love sweets, especially since we don't have cake or cupcakes on a regular basis.

Hopefully, after serving these red velvet cupcakes tomorrow, you'll see all sorts of comments. Try them out, if you like them then consider them for the next few holidays which are almost upon us. Whether Easter, Mother's Day or Father's Day, I'm sure you'll have a big fan base after creating these decadent cupcakes!

 Red Velvet Cupcakes 

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup of butter, softened
1 1/2 cups of white sugar
2 eggs
2 tablespoons of cocoa powder
1/4 cup of water
1 tube of red food coloring (I used the gel)
1 cup of buttermilk
1 teaspoon of vanilla 
1 teaspoon of white vinegar
1 teaspoon of baking soda

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare cupcake tins as directed.

Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs and blend well. Make a paste of cocoa and food coloring and add to the butter mixture. Sift flour and salt together into this mixture.

One at a time, add the following ingredients: buttermilk, vanilla, and water. In a small bowl, combine the vinegar and baking soda. Fold it into the cake batter. Make sure it's incorporated, but don't beat it.

Pour the batter into the cupcake tins. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the cake springs back when touched. Remove from oven and let cool for about 10 minutes, then turn the cupcakes out of the tins and onto a rack to finish cooling completely.

Cocoa Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

1 - 8 ounce package of cream cheese, room temperature
1/3 cup of butter, softened
1-1/2 to 2 cups of confectioner's sugar
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
1 tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder

Preparation:

Place cream cheese and butter into a bowl. Using a hand beater or mixer, beat until well incorporated. Add cocoa powder and confectioner's sugar 1/2 cup at a time. Taste after 1-1/2 cups of confectioner's sugar has been blended. If you like it sweeter, add more sugar. When desired sweetness is achieved, add the vanilla.
Frost cupcakes. Eat with pleasure!

 

 

Ina Garten's Sour Cream Coffee Cake with a Holiday Twist

 

We always start our holiday mornings with some type of coffee cake. I'm not sure when that tradition started but it has become an expected (and appreciated) breakfast treat by many of our family members and friends. Last year, we started with Tilly Draisen's Toffee Treasure Cake. It is a big favorite of mine because it uses Heath Bar bits to flavor the streusel middle and topping. This year, I was looking for something easy and with a half package of fresh cranberries left from our cranberry sauce recipe, I was looking to include them in the mix.

I came across Ina Garten's Sour Cream Coffee Cake and had all the ingredients necessary for the cake. No more searching, this was it. I whipped the cake up in no time but decided I would add a few leftovers so there was no waste from Thanksgiving. As part of the streusel, I added some freshly chopped cranberries and grated orange to the inner mixture. It gave the cake some color as well as tangy flavor. I finished off the cake by adding some more freshly grated orange rind to the glaze.

The cake was moist and buttery and the cranberries gave a nice sourness to all the sweet filling. The maple syrup glaze paired nicely with the orange rind to finish the taste of the cake.

Everyone loved the cake and especially liked the cranberries. I kept eating slivers of the cake because the combination of sweet and sour was so good! (Really good...and I definitely want to make this recipe again!)

You can make the cake with or without the cranberries and orange rind but my one suggestion would be to double the glaze as the single batch doesn't make much.

For the Cake:

• 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 3 extra-large eggs at room temperature
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups sour cream
• 2 1/2 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

For the streusel:

• 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 3/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/2 cup of fresh cranberries, chopped
• 1 tablespoon of freshly grated orange rind

For the glaze:

• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
• 2 tablespoons real maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons of freshly grated orange rind

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan.

Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for 4 to 5 minutes, until light. Add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla and sour cream. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture to the batter until just combined. Finish stirring with a spatula to be sure the batter is completely mixed.

For the streusel, place the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt, and butter in a bowl and pinch together with your fingers until it forms a crumble. Mix in the walnuts. In a separate bowl, mix the chopped cranberries and orange rind.

Spoon half the batter into the pan and spread it out with a knife. Sprinkle with 3/4 cup streusel. Sprinkle the cranberry mixture over the streusel. Spoon the rest of the batter in the pan, spread it out, and scatter the remaining streusel on top. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean.

Let cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes. Carefully transfer the cake, streusel side up, onto a serving plate. Whisk the confectioners' sugar, maple syrup and orange rind together, adding a few drops of water if necessary, to make the glaze runny. Drizzle as much as you like over the cake with a fork or spoon.

Move over CUPCAKES, make room for CAKE BALLS!

 

About a month ago, I found this ebook through my iPad apps. It was called Cakeballs!by J. Brentzel. It was this great little recipe book that teaches you how to make cake balls. It was pretty funny and as I read through the introduction there was a

WARNING**** Cake Truffles can be (and usually will be) addictive****

They must be good if the warning mentions the word addictive. So, off to the grocery store to get the two main ingredients 1. A Cake Mix and 2. Frosting.

These were going to be easy...make the cake according to the instructions, let it cool, crumble it up, mix with frosting, shape into balls, dip in chocolate and voila! CAKE BALLS. This is almost to easy to be true. The only issues I had was dipping the balls. They were a bit time consuming but once you got the process down the cake balls got easier to dip. One thing which was time consuming was when everyone wanted to help. On a first time trial, I become a bit of a perfectionist. Jeff and my son, Brian, couldn't understand why a cake ball that rolled over after being frosted didn't constitute a mess. Off with your heads, eat the messy ball and get out of here!Once they cleared out of the kitchen, things ran a bit smoother.

As we were making and eating the defects, I wasn't sure that they were as good as expected, I didn't seem to be addicted. I think part of the problem was I didn't wait for them to fully set. I was able to really get a better taste the following morning as I taste tested them for breakfast. Yes, they were incredible. Yes, they were addicting and yes, I needed to get an audience's reaction.

On Tuesday morning, I packed a container of cake balls and brought them to my Women's Business Network meeting, this could be my audience. Half way through the meeting, someone asked who made the little cake desserts, I raised my hand and she said they were incredible. That was a good sign. During coffee break more people began to taste the cake balls, I deemed them a great success.

I made triple chocolate cake balls, chocolate cake, chocolate frosting and chocolate icing. They tasted like little Ring Dings, but better. They were rich and creamy with a nice chocolate shell. Very easy to eat, and continue to eat. I found myself in the land of "just-one-more". My in-laws (who live next door) absolutely loved them. My father-in-law was eating them un-frosted. He thought they were amazing.

I'm sharing this recipe with you before the holidays so you can try them out before you showcase them. Be the hit of the next party. Don't bring a cake, or cupcakes for that matter...bring cake balls and watch them disappear.

Ingredients:

1 Box of your favorite cake mix

1 can of store-bought frosting or 2 cups of homemade frosting

1 package of dipping chocolate or 1 (12 ounce) package of chocolate chips

2 tablespoons of vegetable oil

Cake decorations: sugar crystals, nonpareils, colored sprinkles, chocolate jimmies

Preparation:

Make and bake the cake according to directions. When baking, use a  13 x 9 inch baking pan. Once you have removed the cake from the oven, allow it to cool completely, about an hour.

Once the cake is cooled, using your hands, break the cake into small (fine) crumbs. Add the frosting and mix until incorporated. Don't over mix or mash the crumbs.

 

Note: This was my second batch and I used french vanilla cake mix and chocolate frosting. This is what the consistency should look like. (And the combination was delicious!)

 

Using a small melon ball or cookie scoop begin scooping the cake mixture and creating balls. Place the balls in the freezer for at least 1 hour. They need to be frozen to be able to with stand the dipping.

Melt your dipping chocolate in a double boiler or using your bag of chocolate chips (they can be vanilla, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, butterscotch, peanut butter or your choice). If you use the regular bag of chips, you need to add vegetable oil to get a smooth consistency. That has been a big issue for me. I read one book that suggested I used vegetable shortening and that made the chocolate creamy not smooth and slightly runny. Look at both the dark chocolate balls and the vanilla balls which are shown. They are really creamy and didn't frost well. They tasted great, but don't necessarily look appetizing.

Dipping can be a work in progress.

 

See, I was using crisco...use vegetable oil instead and get a dipping loose consistency. Not creamy like below. I promise to post some different flavor combinations as well as better dipped cake balls.

Using a toothpick or dipping fork, dip each cake ball and place on wax paper to dry. Add toppings such as sprinkles, sugar crystal or leave plain. I was dipping and had extra chocolate so the balls got laced with dark chocolate.

 

Last picture...wish it was clearer. Enjoy!

 

Chocolate Zucchini Cake - My Favorite Bread!

 

Years ago, when my mother first started making zucchini bread, she found this recipe for chocolate zucchini cake. The recipe was featured in the Boston Globe newspaper under the Confidential Chat section of the paper. It was always a wonderful snack cake that disappeared quickly, especially when no one knew there was zucchini in it. She always made it as a cake, but I found it more enjoyable to make as a bread. It allowed me to split it into loaves and share some with family and friends. Plus, I was probably looking for a reason to eat it for breakfast. As a cake, it's dessert, as a bread it's breakfast!  

Even though the cake is made with cocoa and chocolate chips, there isn't an overpowering taste of chocolate. The bread is sweet with a hint of spice but the chocolate flavor comes through in the mini chocolate chips. It is delicious for breakfast, served cold or slightly warmed with raspberry jam. As a dessert, serving it warmed with vanilla ice cream and a chocolate or strawberry topping is delicious, too. 

So, what will it be? Cake or bread? The results of the last loaf I served: 3/4 was eaten at breakfast, 1/4 eaten for dessert after dinner. I'll let you decide.

For those not familiar with Confidential Chat, check out the article A sad ending for a beloved feature.

Ingredients:

1 cup of brown sugar

1/2 cup of white sugar

1/2 cup of butter

1/2 cup of vegetable  oil

3 eggs

1 teaspoons of vanilla

1/2 cup of buttermilk

2 1/2 cups of flour

1/2 teaspoon of allspice

1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon of salt

2 teaspoons of baking soda

4 tablespoons of cocoa

3 zucchini about 6 inches long (about 3 cups shredded or grated)

1/2 to 1 cup of mini chocolate chips

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 3 small loaf pans. I use aluminum foil pans. They are easier to freeze in the pan or give away as a gift.

Cream sugars, butter and oil together in a large bowl. Add eggs, vanilla and buttermilk and mix well.

Measure dry ingredients into sifter and sift into bowl. Mix well, then add zucchini and chocolate chips. 

Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a tester comes clean. Cool completely before covering or freezing.

Wilson Farm's Strawberry Shortcake

 
On Sunday we took a quick ride to C.N. Smith Farm in Bridgewater, MA and caught the last day of "pick-your-own" strawberries. This is normally an annual trip but this year time got away from us and we figured we had missed strawberry picking season.

We got there still being able to enjoy fresh strawberries, six quarts to be exact. It was wonderful to bite into a sweet, juicy strawberry. Nothing better than fresh from the patch.

We have enjoyed strawberry smoothies as well as strawberry shortcake this week. Jeff found this recipe in the Wilson Farm Country Cookbook. Local farm strawberries with a local farm recipe. We love this cookbook because it has our favorite red skinned potato salad recipe, too.

Jeff decided to make the shortbread as I was baking a double batch of Andria's Chocolate Chip Cookies. Jeff mixed all the dry ingredients together to find we didn't have any shortening. We decided to fore go the shortening and use butter for the entire recipe. It made for a buttery shortcake which was fine with me because I'm not a strawberry shortcake fan but this (hands down) this was "the best strawberry shortcake" I had ever eaten. Everyone enjoyed the shortcake with Jeff finishing off the last of it tonight. Strawberry shortcake with freshly picked strawberries and homemade whipped cream is probably one of the most refreshing desserts you could ever eat. It makes you want to savor each bite.

I wish we could have shared this earlier so that you could enjoy freshly picked strawberries, too. If you can still find them in your local supermarket or farmer's market, pick up a few quarts and treat yourself to this incredible dessert. It could be the hit of the 4th of July weekend!

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Grease an 8-inch round layer cake pan.

Ingredients for Shortcake:

2 cups of flour

2 tablespoons of white sugar

3 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder

1 teaspoon of salt

3 tablespoons of butter (softened)

3 tablespoons solid vegetable shortening

2/3 cup of milk

1 teaspoon butter (softened)

Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together twice. Cut the 3 tablespoons of butter and shortening into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or two knives until it resembles coarse cornmeal. Stir the milk into the flour and shortening mixture with a fork. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead it a few times until smooth. Divide the dough in half and pat one half into the greased pan (or roll with a rolling pin to fit the pan). Spread the teaspoon of butter over this layer (so the layers will split easily). Pat the second layer over the first (or roll to fit). Bake at 450 degrees for about 20 minutes or until browned and baked between the layers.

Strawberries:

1 quart of strawberries

1/2 cup of sugar (or to taste)

While the shortcake is baking, wash, hull and mash the strawberries. Stir in the sugar and set aside until ready to serve.

Whipped Cream:

1/2 cup of heavy cream

2 teaspoons of sugar

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

Whip the cream with a whisk or egg beater until it is quite thick. Add the sugar and vanilla and continue beating until the cream reaches the desired stiffness.

Remove the shortcake from the oven and place in on a deep serving platter. Lift off the top layer and put aside. Spoon half the strawberries on the bottom layer. Add the top layer and cover with remaining berries. Top with whipped cream. Cut into six pie shaped wedges. NOTE: The shortcake can also be baked as biscuits for individual servings.

Almond Rhubarb Coffee Cake

 

Since we bought our home 5 years ago, we noticed we had a small patch of rhubarb growing in our front yard. Every June, we get to enjoy a few tasty treats made with rhubarb. Most of our dishes include strawberries to create some form of pie or spread.

Sunday was Father's Day and our traditional brunch always includes a coffee cake. After deciding not to repeat our favorites, Jeff found this coffee cake recipe, Almond Rhubarb Coffee Cake, at Allrecipes.com. Not only was this any easy recipe to put together, it made two 9 inch cakes. Perfect for sharing one and keeping the other. The cake was sweet with a bit of tartness from the rhubarb. The cake topping of sugar and almonds gave it a crunchiness in every bite.

With 15 people for breakfast, we proceeded to eat through one complete cake and half of the second. We did get to enjoy a few slices for breakfast this week which made us wish there was more rhubarb left in the yard.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups rhubarb, chopped
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/3 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1/4 cup sliced almonds 

Preparation: 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease two 9 inch round pans.
2. In a large bowl, beat brown sugar, oil, egg, and vanilla together until smooth. Combine flour, salt and baking soda; add to sugar mixture alternately with milk. Beat until smooth. Stir in rhubarb and 1/2 cup almonds. Pour into prepared pans.
3. In a small bowl, combine white sugar and butter or margarine. Stir in 1/4 cup almonds. Sprinkle topping over batter.
4. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the cake tests done.

Bon Appetit's Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake

 

Mother's Day is Sunday and it's a time when families get together to honor their mothers. At Easter, we made this delicious chocolate cake, but I have been waiting for a special occasion to highlight the recipe. I wanted to give people the opportunity to have time to make the cake and truly enjoy it.

For Mother's Day, I am highlighting the Bon Appetit's Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake. It was featured in the April 2010 edition of Bon Appetit's monthly magazine. They had run an article on classic cakes and we actually made two of their featured recipes. One being the chocolate cake, the other was the New York-Style Crumb Cake which I made with blueberries.

The cake came together easily. Beating the eggs and sifting the dry ingredients together were the most time consuming parts of the cake. (If you don't know, I'm not a big mayonnaise fan and I kept smelling strong scents of mayonnaise and kept thinking, "I hope I can get beyond this." And I know, mayonnaise is oil and eggs...what's the big deal!) I didn't have three 8 inch cake pans to bake the layers so I used my two 10 inch pans. Assembly was easy and the frosting was easy to make. I will comment of the frosting... INCREDIBLE. Choco-holics delight! The beaters were covered in frosting when we were done and yes, people did fight over them.

The cake was a big hit, very moist, very chocolaty and the frosting was fugdy but not overpowering. Making the frosting with the bittersweet chocolate brought a richness to the cake. We had coffee ice cream to serve with it. Coffee accentuates chocolate so it was a nice combination.

If you are looking to do something nice for Mother's Day, rather than buying a cake, make this classic Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake. I can guarantee you will make one special person very happy. Happy Mother's Day from Friends Food Family.

Ingredients:

• 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate (do not exceed 61% cacao), chopped
• 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 3/4 cups boiling water
• 2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
• 1 1/3 cups mayonnaise (do not use reduced-fat or fat-free)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 10 ounces bittersweet chocolate (do not exceed 61% cacao), chopped
• 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Preparation: 

• Three 8-inch-diameter cake pans with 1 1/2-inch-high sides

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour three 8-inch-diameter cake pans with 1 1/2-inch-high sides. Combine chopped chocolate and cocoa powder in medium metal bowl. Add 13/4 cups boiling water and whisk until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.
• Sift flour, baking soda, and baking powder into another medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat both sugars and mayonnaise in large bowl until well blended, 2 to 3 minutes. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating until well blended after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Add flour mixture in 4 additions alternately with chocolate mixture in 3 additions, beating until blended after each addition and occasionally scraping down sides of bowl. Divide batter among prepared cake pans (about 2 1/3 cups for each).
• Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, 30 to 32 minutes. Cool cakes in pans on racks 20 minutes.
• Run small knife around sides of cakes to loosen. Carefully invert cakes onto racks and let cool completely.

• Place chopped chocolate in medium metal bowl; set bowl over saucepan of simmering water and stir until chocolate is melted and smooth. Carefully remove bowl from over water; let melted chocolate cool until lukewarm, stirring occasionally.
• Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until smooth and creamy. Sift powdered sugar over butter and beat until well blended, about 2 minutes. Beat in vanilla. Add melted chocolate and beat until well blended and smooth, occasionally scraping down sides of bowl.
• Place 1 cake layer on platter. Spread 3/4 cup frosting over top of cake layer to edges. Top with second cake layer; spread 3/4 cup frosting over. Top with third cake layer. Spread remaining frosting decoratively over top and sides of cake. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with cake dome and let stand at room temperature.
• Cut cake into wedges and serve.

Bon Appetit's New York-Style Crumb Cake (with Blueberries)

 

Easter, like any holiday, means lots of relatives and lots of good food. We spent most of Saturday baking cookies, a chocolate cake, Parker House rolls and homemade raviolis. Sunday was the lamb, ham, sweet potatoes and rice, carrots and green beans, finishing with an array of desserts. Say it with me "food hangover".

Our guests normally arrive about 2 hours before we eat and snack on breakfast tidbits. I normally make Tilly Draisen's Toffee Treasure Cake, but today I wanted to make something different. I was craving blueberries.

I found this New York-Style Crumb Cake in the April 2010 edition of Bon Appetit. It was right next to the Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake which I will feature later this week. I was so excited to find a coffee cake with a thick crumb topping. When cooked correctly it melts right into the top of the cake. The cake was amazing, very rich and sweet. I loved the blueberries because of their slight sourness. The cake melts in your mouth, then again, it would have to...lots of butter.

This is a great breakfast cake and can work just as well as an afternoon tea cake. Oh, and don't hold back, sprinkle a little confectioner's sugar on top.

Ingredients:

Crumb Topping

1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted, warm

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

Cake

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 large eggs

1 1/3 cups sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups of fresh or frozen blueberries (I added) 

Preparation for Topping:

Mix both sugars, cinnamon, and salt in medium bowl and whisk to blend. Add warm melted butter and stir to blend. Add flour and toss with fork until moist clumps form (topping mixture will look slightly wet). Set aside.

Cake Preparation:

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Butter 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat room-temperature butter in large bowl until smooth. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating until well blended after each addition. Add sour cream and vanilla extract and beat just until blended. Add flour mixture in 3 additions, beating just until incorporated after each addition. Transfer cake batter to prepared baking dish; spread batter evenly with rubber spatula or offset spatula. Squeeze small handfuls of topping together to form small clumps. Drop topping clumps evenly over cake batter, covering completely (topping will be thick).

Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean and topping is deep golden brown and slightly crisp, about 1 hour. Cool cake in dish on rack at least 30 minutes. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool completely. Cover and let stand at room temperature.

Cut cake into squares and serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

Chocolate Root Beer Cupcakes

  
When I started getting ready to promote the Friends Food Family Blog, I came across a very interesting food blog called gastronomy. I was really impressed with the site. They had showcased a recipe called Root Beer Bundt Cake. It had come from a cookbook called Baked: New Frontiers in Baking, written by Baked, a bakery in New York City. If you have time, check out both sites, they are fun and offer great food products and services.

Since Christmas with Root Beer Schnapps in hand, I've been wanting to make this cake. Yesterday, I had a spare hour and thought I'd take on the cake. Next thing I knew, the oven was being used for a number of things...proofing bread, corn bread for the chili...and I found I had 30 minutes not 1 hour.

So, why fret, make cupcakes. I took the recipe and made 30 chocolate root beer cupcakes. My son, Stephen, and I had to try them first, even if they were hot and unfrosted. They were delicious and had a wonderful aftertaste of root beer. I frosted the cupcakes and covered them until this morning. So, for breakfast I enjoyed a cupcake with a big cup of coffee (Oh, another breakfast of champions). The cupcake was even better with the frosting, but the root beer was more of a hint than a strong flavor.

If you need a quick dessert for kids or adults, especially with Valentine's Day coming, consider these over your average chocolate cupcakes. I'm bringing them to a Super Bowl Party tonight. Results in the morning!

Ingredients for the Cupcakes

• 2 cups of root beer (do not use a diet root beer)
• 1 cup of dark cocoa powder, like Valrhona
• 1 stick unsalted butter, chopped into 1 inch cubes
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1/2 cups dark brown sugar (packed)
• 2 cups flour
• 1 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 large eggs

Baked Note: If you can find root beer schnapps, substitute 1/2 cup of root beer with root beer schnapps. The root beer flavor will be more pronounced.

Ingredients for Frosting

• 2 ounces of 60% chocolate (melted and slightly cooled)
• 4 oz unsalted butter (room temperature)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup root beer
• 2/3 cup dark cocoa powder
• 2 1/2 cups confectioners sugar

Preparation for Cupcakes

Preheat oven to 325º degrees.

Line the cupcake tins with liners, if you don't have liners, spray with Pam and lightly flour, tapping out the excess flour.

In a small saucepan, heat root beer, cocoa and butter over medium heat until butter is completely melted. Add both sugars and whisk until dissolved. Remove mixture from heat to cool.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. In a small bowl, whisk eggs until just beaten, then whisk into cooled cocoa mix until combined.

Gently fold flour mixture into chocolate mixture. Mixture will be slightly lumpy—Do not over-beat which could cause the cake to be tough.

Pour mixture into cupcake tins, I used a 1/3 measuring cup to pour . Fill about 2/3 full. Bake approximately 30-35 minutes. Rotate tins half-way through bake time. Cupcakes will spring back to touch, or use a toothpick, coming clean.

Cool cupcakes on rack. Make sure they are cooled completely before adding frosting.

Preparation for Frosting:

Place all ingredients, chocolate, butter, salt, root beer, butter, and confectioners sugar, in a food processor. Pulse in short burst until fudge frosting is shiny and smooth. Use a spatula to spread the fudge frosting over the tops of the cupcakes. Let frosting set before serving.

 
The next time I make these I'm going to try a vanilla bean frosting. What better than a root beer float cupcake.

Sue's Peppermint Cheesecake

 

I love when I can get my friends and family to blog with me about their recipes and the stories which compliment them. This recipe was sent to me from Sue McQuaid. Sue is the President and CEO of the Neponset Valley Chamber of Commerce. I am fortunate to work with Sue on a regular basis as I counsel for the MSBDC (MA Small Business Development Center) at the Chamber.

Sue and I are always talking about our recipes as we both love to cook and bake. She told me about a Peppermint Cheesecake she makes and actually won an award for her minty creation. I told her I wasn't a big cheesecake fan and she said that her cheesecake was frozen and tasted more like ice cream than cheesecake. I said, "Send me the recipe and I'll make it for our Christmas Eve gathering." Being a fan of peppermint stick ice cream, this frozen delight was easy to enjoy. It was sweet, yet light and didn't taste like cheesecake. The chocolate base balanced the cake perfectly...but then again, I might even add a little bit of hot fudge as a topping. The cheesecake was a big hit, especially with the "non-cheesecake lovers".

Ingredients

Makes one 9-inch cheesecake

 

1 ¼ cups chocolate wafer cookie crumbs (about 24 wafers) or you can use Oreos (and crush them well)

¼ cup sugar

¼ cup of margarine or butter, melted

1 (8 oz) package of cream cheese, softened

1 (14 oz) can of sweetened condensed milk

¾ cup of crushed peppermint candy (I use a package of 12 large candy canes and finely crush then in a food processor or blender)

2 cups of whipping cream, whipped

 

Combine crumbs, sugar and margarine; press on bottom and up a little on the sides of the spring form pan. In large mixer bowl, beat cheese until fluffy. Gradually beat in sweetened condensed milk. Stir in crushed candy. Fold in whipped cream. Pour into prepared pan. Cover. Freeze 6 hours or until firm. Garnish as desired or w/o garnish is just fine. 

If you would like to put some hot fudge on this dessert, why not try Bailey's Hot Fudge. The recipe will follow.
 

Quick and Easy Chocolate Pudding Cake

Are you looking for an easy dessert with 4 ingredients?

This will be one of the easiest cakes you will ever make, and you won't believe how it is put together. My Aunt Joyce gave me this chocolate cake recipe when I visited her one Spring in Florida. My aunt comes from Alabama and always had great dessert recipes. She gave me a delicious recipe for Texas Sheet Cake which I will share...if I can find the directions. I have made this cake periodically over the years and forget not only how easy it is, but how quickly it gets eaten.

Ingredients

1 box of Jello Cook and Serve Chocolate Pudding

2 cups of whole milk

1 box of Duncan Hines Devil's Food Cake Mix (not the one with the pudding)

1 cup of Nestle's Mini Chocolate Chips

1/4 Confectioner's Sugar (optional)

Mix chocolate pudding mix with milk and cook according to directions. Allow the pudding to cool slightly. Pour the pudding into the DRY Devil's Food Cake Mix. Blend the two ingredients, it will look sticky. Add the mini-chocolate chips and pour into a greased 9 x 13 baking dish. Cook in a 350 degree oven for 35-40 minutes or until cake is done, springs back to touch or clean toothpick test. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 20 minutes. (Optional) Sift a light coating of confectioner's sugar over the top. Serve warm, or cool. Great with vanilla ice cream. So what do you think?

Tilly Draisen's Toffee Treasure Cake

For year's many of my recipes have sat on 5 x 8 index cards. I always remark that if I ever lost these cards I would lose many recipes that are not written down anywhere else. The chances of ever finding them again would be slim and none. By starting this blog, it has given me the opportunity to not only share these recipes but to have them saved to another medium.

The coffee cake I am sharing this morning is one of those recipes that I found years ago either in the newspaper or family magazine. It's called Tilly Draisen's Toffee Treasure Cake. It has become a Thanksgiving tradition. As our family arrives around 11 AM, they are looking for something to snack on before our 1:30 PM serving of turkey and fixin's. This is a great fill in and even though there are Heath bars in it, you'll never taste the chocolate. And by the way, I just enjoyed a piece with a big cup of coffee. I have to make sure it's OK for the guests!

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Combine 1/4 cup of sugar and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and put aside.

1 cup of white sugar

1/2 cup of butter

2 eggs

1 cup of sour cream

1 teaspoon of vanilla

A pinch of salt

2 cups of flour

1-1/2 teaspoons of baking powder

1 teaspoon of baking soda

3 Heath Bars broken into small pieces (or use 1/2 bag of Heath Bar Bits)

1/4 cup of chopped walnuts

1/4 cup melted butter

Cream butter with sugar, add eggs and vanilla and mix until blended. Add sour cream and mix well. Add dry ingredients and blend to smooth. Lightly grease a 10" tube pan. Start with a tablespoon of cinnamon mixture in the bottom. Spread 1/2 of the cake mixture into the pan, it will be slightly thick. Sprinkle half the cinnamon mixture, 1/2 the Heath Bars and 1/2 the walnuts over the mixture in the pan. Spread the remainder of the cake batter and repeat with the cinnamon, Heath bars and walnuts. Before you place the cake in the oven, pour the melted butter over the cake. Bake for 45-55 minutes or until golden brown and the cake springs back (or passes the clean tooth pick test!). Serving this warm is the best.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

 

I am going to date myself, but does anyone remember Confidential Chat? It was column in the Boston Globe Living section which allowed people (mostly women) to submit and comment on recipes, crafts and household solutions. If you think about it, it could have been called "Twitter without the Technology". Women would write under code names (Mary's Mother, Wonder Woman), hence the "confidential" and they had followings and were considered experts whose advise people admired. My mother was always a fan and cut out many wonderful recipes. I still laugh when I pull out this recipe, which is now a very aged and fragile newspaper clipping.

Today's recipe is from Confidential Chat and it's called Chocolate Zucchini Cake. We make this every year as the zucchini come out of the garden and we make loaves of zucchini bread. This is always the last batch made with the final 3 cups of shredded zucchini. It is very moist and similar to a snack cake, but much better.

1 cup of light brown sugar

1/2 cup of white sugar

1/2 cup of butter

1/2 cup of vegetable oil

3 eggs

1 teaspoon of vanilla

1/2 cup of buttermilk

2-1/2 cups of flour

1/2 teaspoon of allspice

1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon of salt

2 teaspoons of baking soda

4 tablespoons of cocoa

3 zucchini (about 6 inches long, approximately 3 cups shredded)

1 cup of mini chocolate chips

Cream sugars, butter and oil together in a large bowl. Add eggs, vanilla and buttermilk and mix well. Measure dry ingredients and sift into bowl. Mix well, then add zucchini. Add the chocolate chips last as you get ready to place into either a cake pan, 9 x 13 in pan or three bread pans. Bake at 325 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until cake is firm and springs back when touched.

Works best as a breakfast staple for chocoholics or as a snack with coffee or tea. Enjoy!