Lazy Daisy cake(TOH)........

I whipped this cake up in litterally 5 minutes the other night. It was a cinch and it had a great flavor. This is an old-fashioned recipe that has been around for awhile so I decided I'm going to make it for the seniors when I cook for them next Thursday. The cake is basically a hot milk sponge cake with a broiled coconut topping. I love coconut so I loved the toping!! Robin isnt a super huge coconut fan, but she enjoyed it. I cut the recipe in half and made it in a 9inch square pan.

Here is the full recipe for a 9 x 13
4 eggs
2 c. sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1 c. milk( I used skim with no ill effects)
1/4 c. butter

topping
1 1/2 c. brown sugar
3/4 c. butter( I actually will cut down the butter next time I make it)
1/2 c. half and half
2 cups coconut.

In mixing bowl, beat eggs, sugar and vanilla for 4 minutes. Add flour, baking powder and salt. In a saucepan, heat milk and butter to a boil, stiring constantly. Add to batter, mix until combined. Pour into greased pan and bake at 350 for 30-45 min.

Combine topping ingredients, spread over warm cake. Broil until light brown 3-4 minutes.

German Chocolate Cake( Cook's Illustrated).....

My poor sick requested a German Chocolate Cake on Saturday after watching America's Test Kitchen make one. Oh, the power of suggestion!! Anyway, I got right on it and a couple hours later we had a beautiful, flavorful, wonderful cake.

I was a tad confused because the recipe on the Cook's website is different from the one in Baking Illustrated. I used the Cook's recipe because it was published after Baking. The frosting was fantastic and I like the idea of adding the pecans after the coconut mixture cools down and before you frost the cake.

German Chocolate Cake

When you assemble the cake, the filling should be cool or cold (or room temperature, at the very warmest). To be time-efficient, first make the filling, then use the refrigeration time to prepare, bake, and cool the cakes. The toasted pecans are stirred into the filling just before assembly to keep them from becoming soft and soggy.
INGREDIENTS


Filling

4 egg yolks
1 can evaporated milk (12 ounces)
1 cup granulated sugar (7 ounces)
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar (1 3/4 ounces)
6 tablespoons unsalted butter (3/4 stick), cut into 6 pieces
1/8 teaspoon table salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/3 cups sweetened shredded coconut (7 ounces)
1 1/2 cups finely chopped pecans (6 1/2 ounces), toasted on baking sheet in 350-degree oven until fragrant and browned, about 8 minutes

Cake

4 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate , chopped fine
1/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa , sifted
1/2 cup boiling water
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (10 ounces), plus additional for dusting cake pans
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), softened
1 cup granulated sugar (7 ounces)
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar (about 4 3/4 ounces)
3/4 teaspoon table salt
4 large eggs , room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup sour cream , room temperature



See Illustrations Below: Assembling the German Chocolate Cake

1. FOR THE FILLING: Whisk yolks in medium saucepan; gradually whisk in evaporated milk. Add sugars, butter, and salt and cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until mixture is boiling, frothy, and slightly thickened, about 6 minutes. Transfer mixture to bowl, whisk in vanilla, then stir in coconut. Cool until just warm, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until cool or cold, at least 2 hours or up to 3 days. (Pecans are stirred in just before cake assembly.)
2. FOR THE CAKE: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position; heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine chocolate and cocoa in small bowl; pour boiling water over and let stand to melt chocolate, about 2 minutes. Whisk until smooth; set aside until cooled to room temperature.
3. Meanwhile, spray two 9-inch-round by 2-inch-high straight-sided cake pans with nonstick cooking spray; line bottoms with parchment or waxed paper rounds. Spray paper rounds, dust pans with flour, and knock out excess. Sift flour and baking soda into medium bowl or onto sheet of parchment or waxed paper.
4. In bowl of standing mixer, beat butter, sugars, and salt at medium-low speed until sugar is moistened, about 30 seconds. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until mixture is light and fluffy, about 4 minutes, scraping down bowl with rubber spatula halfway through. With mixer running at medium speed, add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down bowl halfway through. Beat in vanilla; increase speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, about 45 seconds. With mixer running at low speed, add chocolate, then increase speed to medium and beat until combined, about 30 seconds, scraping down bowl once (batter may appear broken). With mixer running at low speed, add dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with sour cream (in 2 additions), beginning and ending with dry ingredients, and beating in each addition until barely combined. After final flour addition, beat on low until just combined, then stir batter by hand with rubber spatula, scraping bottom and sides of bowl, to ensure that batter is homogenous (batter will be thick). Divide batter evenly between prepared cake pans; spread batter to edges of pans with rubber spatula and smooth surfaces.
5. Bake cakes until toothpick inserted into center of cakes comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool in pans 10 minutes, then invert cakes onto greased wire rack; peel off and discard paper rounds. Cool cakes to room temperature before filling, about 1 hour. (Cooled cakes can be wrapped in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to 1 day.)
6. TO ASSEMBLE: Stir toasted pecans into chilled filling. Set one cake on serving platter or cardboard round cut slightly smaller than cake, and second cake on work surface (or leave on wire rack). With serrated knife held so that blade is parallel with work surface, use sawing motion to cut each cake into two even layers. Starting with first cake, carefully lift off top layer and set aside. Using icing spatula, distribute about 1 cup filling evenly on cake, spreading filling to very edge of cake and leveling surface. Carefully place upper cake layer on top of filling; repeat using remaining filling and cake layers. If necessary, dust crumbs off platter; serve or refrigerate cake, covered loosely with foil, up to 4 hours (if refrigerated longer than 2 hours, let cake stand at room temperature 15 to 20 minutes before serving).

Blueberry Boy Bait(Cook's Country)....

This recipe comes from Cook's Country, the sister publication to my beloved Cook's Illustrated. I was perusing the message boards and found this under "America's Best Lost Recipes". Apparently, this was submitted in the 50's to Pillsbury's recipe contest. I guess its so good it can attract teenage boys!! Cook's Country updated the recipe( removed the shortening, etc) and I can vouch that its very good. It had a nice light texture and flavor. I would have prefered more blueberries though. My mother-in-law came over and we had this as a snack. Even my neice loved it.

Blueberry Boy Bait
Serves 12

If using frozen blueberries, do not let them thaw, as they will turn the batter a blue-green color.


Cake

2 cups all-purpose flour plus 1 teaspoon
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon table salt
16 tablespoons unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup blueberries , fresh or frozen, (see note above)

Topping

1/2 cup blueberries , fresh or frozen (see note above)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. For the cake: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 13 by 9-inch baking pan.

2. Whisk 2 cups flour, baking powder, and salt together in medium bowl. With electric mixer, beat butter and sugars on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until just incorporated. Reduce speed to medium and beat in one-third of flour mixture until incorporated; beat in half of milk. Beat in half of remaining flour mixture, then remaining milk, and finally remaining flour mixture. Toss blueberries with remaining 1 teaspoon flour. Using rubber spatula, gently fold in blueberries. Spread batter into prepared pan.

3. For the topping: Scatter blue-berries over top of batter. Stir sugar and cinnamon together in small bowl and sprinkle over batter. Bake until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool in pan 20 minutes, then turn out and place on serving platter (topping side up). Serve warm or at room temperature. (Cake can be stored in airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.)

Cream Cheese Pound Cake( Bon Appetite)

Robin and I went to Port Huron, MI on Saturday. In March, Robin finally got her Nexxus card so now she can join me in the Nexxus lane. This means we don't have to wait in a long line or even speak to a Customs agent. This makes for an easy and stress-free border crossing. We're only 62 miles from the border so it takes about an hour to get there. We ate at Ruby Tuesday's( no pictures). I never thought there would be a day I'd get excited about eating at a chain restaurant. Port Huron is the land of chains. Our choices are Chili's, Red Lobster, Applebees, Olive Garden and Ruby Tuesday. There is also a Denny's, Bob's Big Boy and a few other diner type places. Lastly, there is the "authentic" Mexican place and some chinese mom and pop places. I wanted a turkey burger though, so Ruby Tuesday it was. I was telling Robin how when I was in High School in Florida, my friends and I would go to Ruby Tuesday( it was at the Mall) for salad bar. It cost 2.99 for our lunch and we thought it was such a great deal. Anyway, I graduated almost 23yrs ago and now the salad bar is 8.99 alone or 2.89 with a meal.

I digressed, so back to Pound Cake. We went to TJ Maxx and I found this Bavarian Bundt pan on clearance for 12.99. I thought a pound cake would be good for this pan and I was right. I was afraid it would stick, but I sprayed it really well with a baking spray that contained flour. I found this recipe on Epicuirous.com. It got good reviews so I went with it. Its really a very tasty pound cake, totally melt in your mouth. I reduced the quantity of vanilla and added 1tsp of pure almond extract.

The cake is put into a cold oven and then baked slowly at gradually increasing temperatures.

serving size

Makes 1 large cake.

ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, room temperature
3 cups sugar
1 teaspoon salt
6 large eggs, room temperature
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups sifted all purpose flour preparation
Butter and flour 12-cup Bundt pan. Using electric mixer, beat butter and cream cheese in large bowl until fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add sugar and salt; beat 10 minutes, occasionally scraping down sides of bowl. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Beat in flour at low speed until batter is smooth (do not overbeat). Transfer batter to pan.
Place pan in cold oven. Set temperature at 200°F; bake 20 minutes. Increase temperature to 250°F; bake 20 minutes. Increase to 275°F; bake 10 minutes. Increase to 300°F; bake cake until tester inserted near center comes out clean, about 1 hour longer. Cool cake in pan on rack 15 minutes. Turn cake out onto rack; cool completely. (Can be made 3 days ahead. Wrap; store at room temperature.)

Bon Appétit, December 2003

Tres Leches cake.....

Do you ever read a recipe on a foodblog and then get the urge to make that recipe immediately? That is how I felt yesterday when I read Anna's blog about Tres Leches Cake. I've had Tres Leches cake one time before in California, but I really don't remember it that well. Robin needed a dessert to bring to a friends tonight so I whipped this up yesterday. Anna cut down the recipe by 1/3 so it fit perfectly in a square pan. I used a disposable pan so Robin could just take it and forget about it. The actual cake part has no added fat which I found strange. It came out really nice though. You then pour over a mixture of evap. milk, sweetened condensed milk, regular milk and sour cream( I guess that is really 4 milks). Anyway, it needs an overnight sit in the fridge. Tres Leches is traditionally topped with either whipped cream or meringue. I sent along a can of reddi-whip and some dulce de leche. I stole a piece before Robin left. I cut up some strawberries to go with it because I sent the dulce with Robin.

Robin's friends just called to tell me how great the cake was. So, thanks Anna!!

Lemon Yogurt Cake( Barefoot Contessa)....

Try as I might, I couldnt get a decent picture of this cake. I checked Ina's new book out of the library to see if it was worth buying( it isnt). A lot of the recipes look good, but most are pretty basic. One thing I notice about Ina is that she "borrows" a lot of recipes from different people. Case in point, this lemon yogurt cake. Ina says " she wanted to see if she couldnt lighten her infamous lemon loaf cake" She saw a recipe from Dorie Greenspan for a yogurt cake so she decided to try that method with her lemon cake. In the headnotes, Ina says this cake is good for you. I wouldnt go that far, the cake still uses 1/2 cup of oil and 1 cup of whole milk yogurt. I wasnt thrilled with the cake, it was very lemony and a tad oily. After the cake comes out of the oven, you drench it with a simple syrup made with lemon juice and sugar. Ina also calls for 1 cup of powdered sugar for the glaze, but I only used a few tbls because I thought that was plenty.

Another recipe in the book is for Beatty's chocolate cake. This recipe is the exact same recipe as Hershey's Black Magic cake. For some reason, that really bugged me. I've been making Black Magic cake for years and years.

Pineapple, Ginger, Coconut upside down cake( CI)...

Here is a cake that Mike and I made when I was in Florida. We've made this before and its definatly worth making again. Like all Cook's Illustrated recipes, it was tested and retested until it was perfect. The topping consists of fresh pinapple( 6 bucks in Florida,wow) grated ginger, brown sugar and butter. That mixture is cooked and placed in a cake pan. A moist and tender butter cake flavored with coconut milk and shredded coconut is placed on top and once the cake is cooled, its turned over and voila!! It was very good. Mike's bf picked up some fabulous vanilla ice cream from Kulwin's Chocolates( on Las Olas Blvd). That was some really good vanilla ice cream.