Tag Archives: baking

October 14, 2011 · 10:20 am

Pear Cardamom Bundt Cake with Lime Glaze

I love the smells of fall baking. That combination of fruits like apples and pears with heavily fragrant cinnamon, cardamom and other spices. This recipe makes a highly adaptable batter that can be made into a bundt cake, quick-bread loaves, or muffins. Or if your bundt pan is on the small side, like mine, a combination of both cake and muffins. Breakfast and dessert all in one shot!

The lime glaze provides a tart, but sweet contrast to the fragrant fall flavors in the pear cake.

I love cinnamon, but I don’t enjoy large amounts of nutmeg. Small amounts are fine, but I find that it can be very overpowering. One of my favorite fall spices to bake with is cardamom, and I will often swap out nutmeg in a recipe and replace it with cardamom. Cardamom is in the same family as ginger, but it is the seeds and pods that are ground and used for cooking, unlike the root with ginger. It is often used in Indian cooking, but is also a great compliment to cinnamon. It is a versatile spice that can be used in both sweet and savory cooking.

The recipe below makes enough batter for a 12-cup bundt pan. My bundt pan only holds 10 cups, so I use the recipe to make 6 muffins (measure these out first) and the smaller bundt cake. Without the glaze, the muffins make a great breakfast, and they bake up light and airy.

The pears in this recipe are very finely chopped, or grated. I use a food processor to chop them finely. Pear skins are very thin, so I leave those on. They are not noticeable at all in the baked goods.

RECIPE:

Pear Cardamom Bundt Cake with Lime Glaze

Cake:
3 medium pears
about ½ cup buttermilk, milk or plain yogurt (see recipe for exact amount)
¾ cup butter (1 ½ sticks), softened
1 ½ cups brown sugar
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground cardamom
1 cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans

Lime Glaze, recipe below (optional)
—

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour desired pans: one 12-cup bundt pan; one 10-cup bundt pan plus 6 muffin cups; 2 loaf pans; or 24 muffin cups.

Core pears. Finely chop or grate unpeeled pears (I use a food processor) and place in a 2-cup measuring cup. Use a fork to slightly mash the pears (you should have about 1 ½ cups chopped, mashed pears). Add buttermilk to the pears to equal 2 cups. Set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, beat butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Mix in pear/buttermilk mixture.

In a small bowl, combine flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and cardamom. Mix into pear batter just until combined. Fold in nuts. Pour batter into desired pans and bake as directed below.

FOR A 12 CUP BUNDT PAN: Bake for 50-60 minutes.

FOR A 10-CUP BUNDT PAN: First scoop batter into 6 muffin cups. Pour remaining batter into 10-cup bundt pan. Bake bundt for 35-45 minutes and muffins for 18-20 minutes.

FOR TWO LOAF PANS: Bake for 50-60 minutes.

FOR 24-26 MUFFINS: Bake for 18-20 minutes.

—

Lime Glaze (optional):
2 cups powdered sugar
2 Tbs heavy cream
1 Tbs lime juice
zest of one lime

Combine all glaze ingredients and mix until smooth. Add additional lime juice or cream until glaze can be drizzled over cake. Cool cake or loaves completely before drizzling with glaze.

NoEmptyChairs.me

Quick & Easy Nutella Crescent Rolls

A quick and easy idea today that isn’t really a recipe, as it only contains three ingredients: a tube of packaged crescent rolls, a jar of Nutella and some chopped nuts. I used walnuts, but chopped hazelnuts, pecans, or almonds would also be good. These are the jumbo-sized rolls, but you can make them with any of the varieties.

Great for kids to make for a Mother’s Day breakfast (or dessert). And always popular with hungry teenagers after early-morning seminary.

Open tube of crescent rolls; separate dough into triangles. Spread with Nutella. Sprinkle with chopped nuts.

Roll into crescent shape, beginning with wide end. Curve ends into crescent shape. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicon liner. Bake according to package directions until golden brown. Serve warm.

RECIPE:

Nutella Crescent Rolls

Servings: 8
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1 tube Pillsbury Crescent Rolls (regular or jumbo)
Nutella
Finely chopped nuts (walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds or pecans)

Unroll and separate raw crescent roll triangles. Spread with Nutella. Sprinkle with chopped nuts. Roll into crescent shape, beginning with wide end. Curve ends into crescent shape. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicon liner. Bake according to package directions until golden brown (about 15-18 minutes at 350°F for the jumbo size).

Cool slightly. Serve warm.

NoEmptyChairs.me

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Filed under Breads, Breakfast/Brunch, Desserts

Tagged as baking, breakfast, brunch, chocolate, crescent rolls, dessert, easy, kids, mothers day, Nutella, nuts, quick, recipe

March 22, 2011 · 11:46 am

Creamy Citrus Cheesecake

For Brian’s birthday a couple of weeks ago we had this wonderful cheesecake. It is a very creamy cheesecake flavored with lemon and orange zest and juice. You can use blood oranges or regular naval oranges. Lime would also be a great flavor, instead of the lemon. The recipe comes from Aimée Bourque, who is the editor of Simple Bites and author of the blog Under the High Chair.

The original recipe did not have you bake the cheesecake in a water bath, but I did because I think it helps the cheesecake cook more uniformly, and reduces cracks on the top of the cheesecake. To prepare your pan for a waterbath, wrap the springform pan in a double layer of foil. Or: this time I did one layer of foil and then put the pan in an oven-safe bag (the kind used for roasting turkeys). Place wrapped pan in a larger roasting pan and add hot, almost boiling, water to the roasting pan to a level about halfway up the outside of the springform pan.

If you are nervous about moving a pan full of boiling water: pull the oven rack out slightly from the hot oven. Place roasting pan on the oven rack, place springform pan in the roasting pan, and then add boiling water to the roasting pan. Carefully push oven rack back into the oven.

Just out of the oven-No Cracks!

A citrus zest-spiked sour cream makes a perfect topping and hides any imperfections that develop in the top of the cheesecake as the cheesecake cools.

I served this cheesecake with fresh blueberries and this fabulous homemade Blueberry Syrup.

It is flavorful enough that it could also be served on its own without any topping.

RECIPE:

Creamy Citrus Cheesecake

Servings: 10-12
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Crust:
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 ½ Tbs granulated sugar
¼ cup unsalted butter, melted

Filling:
3 pkg (24 oz) cream cheese
¾ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup sour cream
Zest and juice of one lime or small lemon (wash before zesting)
Zest and juice of half an orange (wash before zesting; remaining half will be used in topping)
5 large eggs, room temperature

Topping:
1 cup sour cream
Zest and juice of half an orange
6 Tbs granulated sugar

Place oven rack on the lowest level of the oven. Preheat oven to 350°F.

For the crust:
In a small bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs and sugar. Add melted butter and mix. Press onto the bottom of a nine-inch springform pan. Bake crust for 8-10 minutes until slightly golden. Cool. Wrap springform pan in a double layer of foil, or one layer of foil and then place in an oven bag (like the kind used for turkeys). Place springform pan in a larger roasting pan.

For the filling:
With a mixer, beat together cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add sour cream, citrus zest and juice. Mix well. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing until just incorporated.

Pour filling over crumb crust. Fill roasting pan (not springform pan!) with very hot (almost boiling) water to about 2-inches deep.

Bake cheesecake in the water bath for about 60 minutes. The cheesecake will have puffed significantly, and the middle will still be slightly jiggly. Remove pan from water bath and run a sharp knife around the sides, but do not remove ring. Cool for 15 minutes on a wire rack on the counter.

For the topping:
Combine sour cream, orange zest and juice, and sugar together in a small bowl. Pour over slightly cooled cheesecake and let stand for half an hour at room temperature.
Cover cheesecake pan tightly with plastic wrap, taking care not to disturb the surface of the cheesecake. Chill for at least four hours or overnight.

To serve:
Remove plastic wrap and lift off the outer edge of the spring form pan. If desired, slide a sharp knife under the crust and slide the cheesecake off the spring form base and onto a cake stand or serving platter.

Serve cheesecake alone, or topped with fresh berries or homemade blueberry syrup.

Recipe adapted from Aimée Bourque on Savory Sweet Life

NoEmptyChairs.me

4 Comments

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Tagged as baking, blueberry, cake, cheesecake, citrus, cream cheese, graham cracker crust, lemon, orange, recipe, springform, water bath

March 8, 2011 · 9:49 am

Homemade Indian Naan

Indian Naan is a perfect accompaniment to curries, or marinated grilled meats. It can be made pretty quickly if you use instant yeast, which does not require proofing or an initial rise of the dough. And there is no second rise with a flat bread like naan. Naan can be cooked either in the oven on a baking stone or baking sheet, or cooked on the stove in a hot pan, like a cast iron skillet. I prefer to use a baking stone, as the oven temperature needs to be very high, which can make a baking sheet warp.

Naan is traditionally cooked on the sides of a tandoor oven, but you can have good results at home in a very hot oven. The dough is a simple yeast bread mixture with yogurt added to help give it elasticity. You can also add some fresh minced garlic for a garlic naan.

Roll out individual pieces into an oblong shape. I love that naan does not require perfect circles! Little J likes to roll them out for me, and then keep them moist under a kitchen towel. I usually reroll them a little bit thinner just before I put them into the oven.

If you are using a baking stone, place it in a cold oven and let the oven preheat to 500°F for 15-20 minutes. Throw carefully place your rolled naan pieces onto the hot baking stone. My baking stone will hold 4 small pieces of naan at a time.

Switch the oven to “Broil” and cook for 2-3 minutes. On the first side, they should start to bubble in places. Flip and cook the other side for about 2 minutes.

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Brush naan with melted butter as they come out of the oven. Serve hot with Butter Chicken, or other curries or grilled meats. Also good for dipping in hummus or Tzatziki.

RECIPE:

Naan

Servings: 16-20
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¾ cup milk (or ¾ warm water + ½ cup powdered milk)
2/3 cup plain yogurt, at room temperature
½ cup olive oil
2 Tbs honey
1 egg, at room temperature
4 ½ – 5 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 Tbs instant yeast
2 tsp minced garlic (optional)
¼ – ½ cup butter, melted

Scald milk (bring to a boil, then remove from heat and cool to about 110°F). OR: Use very warm water instead of milk and add ½ cup powdered milk to the dry ingredients. Combine warm milk or water with yogurt, olive oil, honey and egg. Mix in flour, salt and yeast (and powdered milk, if using). Knead into a smooth ball, adding more flour if necessary. Knead in garlic, if desired. Cover and let dough rest 10 minutes.

While dough is resting: If you have a baking stone**, place it in a cold oven on an upper-middle rack (not the top rack position). Preheat oven to 500°F for 15-20 minutes.

Roll small pieces of dough into an oblong or long teardrop shape. Place 2-4 pieces of dough on the hot baking stone. Switch oven to Broil. Broil naan for 2-3 minutes, or until dough just begins to bubble or puff; turn naan over and broil an additional 2 minutes.

Brush cooked naan with melted butter. Cover with a kitchen towel while cooking additional bread. Serve warm.

**NO BAKING STONE: Cook on a baking sheet, but DO NOT leave baking sheet in preheating oven. OR: Brush uncooked naan with melted butter and cook in a hot cast iron or non-stick skillet. Cook 1-2 minutes. Brush other side with butter and turn. Cook until blistered and cooked through. Naan can also be cooked directly on an outdoor grill (oil grates first).

Makes 16-20 naan, depending on size (I make smaller sizes for kid-sized portions)

NoEmptyChairs.me

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Tagged as baking, baking stone, bread, flat bread, Indian, naan, recipe, tandoor, yeast, yogurt

January 12, 2011 · 8:20 pm

Baking & Board Games: A Perfect Snow Day

Baking and Board Games:
What better way to spend a mid-week, school-canceled SNOW DAY!

With a little sledding, snow-fort making and hot chocolate sipping added to keep things balanced.

—

Raspberry Chocolate Oatmeal Muffins (recipe below)
—

Our Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies (recipe HERE)

RECIPE:

Raspberry Chocolate Oatmeal Muffins

Servings: 12
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**Prep Note: the oats need to soak in the milk for 1 hour before adding the rest of the ingredients.

1 cup buttermilk (or 1 cup milk + 1 Tbs white vinegar or lemon juice)
1 cup rolled oats
1 large egg, at room temperature
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup sugar
½ cup butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg (optional)
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup raspberries or mixed berries (fresh or frozen)
½ cup dark chocolate chunks or chips

Combine buttermilk and oats in a large bowl and let stand for one hour. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a muffin tin with paper liners.

Stir the egg into the oat and milk mixture; add brown sugar and sugar; mix to combine. Stir in melted butter. In a small bowl, combine flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, & spices. Gently fold into batter, taking care not to over mix. Gently stir in raspberries and chocolate.

Spoon batter into muffin tins. Bake until light brown and tops spring back when gently touched, about 15 minutes (they will take slightly longer if using frozen berries).

Cool on a wire rack.

Recipe from Aimée at Simple Bites

NoEmptyChairs.me

2 Comments

Filed under Breads, Breakfast/Brunch, Cookies, Uncategorized

Tagged as baking, baking with kids, breakfast, brunch, buttermilk, chocolate, chocolate chip cookies, muffins, oatmeal, oats, quick bread, raspberries, raspberry muffins, recipe