Sophie Gee's Sticky Toffee Pudding

 Sophie Gee's Sticky Toffee Pudding 

Sophie - Madame Superstar! - is Camille's bestie and she joined us for Thanksgiving this year.  The night before she left, Sophie made us her favorite dessert.  We devoured it!  Soooo good.  Her mom got this recipe while living in England years ago.  

Pudding: 

1 C water

3/4 C chopped dates 

2 tsp baking soda

4 T butter

3/4 C sugar

2 eggs

3/4 C flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp vanilla 

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Butter a 9" square pan.  

In a saucepan, bring the water and chopped dates to a boil, then remove from heat.  Stir in the baking soda and set aside. 

In a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar, then add the eggs one by one, beating after each one. 

Gently fold in flour and salt, then stir in the dates and vanilla. 

Pour into the prepared pan and bake 30-40 minutes, until cake is done.  The cake will be very dark. 

SAUCE: 

1 C brown sugar

1/2 C heavy cream

4 T butter

1/2 tsp vanilla 

Bring all ingredients to a boil and simmer 3 minutes.   Keep warm. 

Serve the cake over a bed of the warm sauce, and topped with whipped cream.  YUM.  

Hemming Birthday Cake

HEMMING BIRTHDAY CAKE 

This is a variation  of Texas sheet cake.  Alice Hemming gave me the recipe.  It's been our family birthday cake since 1990!   So good with vanilla ice cream.  

In large mixing bowl, sift together: 

2 C flour

2 C sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

pinch salt

Melt in saucepan: 

2 sticks butter (1 cup) 

1/3 C cocoa powder

1 C water 

In a large Pyrex or bowl, combine: 

2 eggs

 1/2 C buttermilk

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla 

Mix hot mixture into sugar/flour mixture.  Then, add the egg mixture and stir well. 

Pour into pan(s).  Bake in 9 x 13 inch pan at 375 degrees for 30-35 min (? depending on your oven)  - less frosting needed with this option.  Still delicious.  

Or, bake in two 8-inch round pans, lined with parchment, at 400 degrees for 22-25 minutes (depending on your oven).  Cool for 10 minutes in pan, then tip out onto cooling racks.  If there is a high domes on the cakes, shave off the domes with a bread knife, and add those crumbs to part of the frosting, for between the two layers of the cakes. 

FROSTING: 

Melt in saucepan: 

1/3 cup cocoa

1/3 C buttermilk 

1 stick butter 

Then add 3 1/2-4 C powdered sugar. 

Let cool to almost room temp, stirring occasionally. 

Wacky Cake (or, celebrating the inauguration cake)

 Wacky Cake (one bowl chocolate cake) 

preheat oven 325 degrees - 160 degrees celcius in Japan 

8 x 8 pan 

Ingredients: 

1 1/4 C flour

1 C sugar

 1/3 C cocoa

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp espresso powder (OR add 1/2 tsp vanilla with wet ingredients) 

1/2 tsp salt

1 C water

 1/3 C vegetable oil 

1 tsp apple cider vinegar or white vinegar 

1/4 C chocolate chips (optional) 

Combine everything in a bowl - first all the dry ingredients, then everything else, and whisk well. 

Pour into 8 x 8 cake pan; bake 25-30 minutes. 

Sprinkle of powdered sugar is nice.  Or, make a small amount of quick stovetop icing (butter, cocoa powder, vanilla, a little milk, powdered sugar) and frost while cake is still warm.  

YUM 

Kaela's pumpkin sheet cake

 Kaela's Pumpkin Sheet Cake 

Kaela makes this a lot to help bring some semblance of autumn to hot sunny Austin.  She made it twice while I visited.  It is SO GOOD.  It is even better after being chilled.   The recipe is simplified from The Pioneer Woman.  

Use a sheet pan (large rimmed baking sheet), sprayed with baking spray 

Preheat oven to 350 

In large bowl, combine and set aside dry ingredients: 

2 C flour

2 C sugar

1/4 tsp salt 

Meanwhile, in medium saucepan, melt butter, whisk in pumpkin and spices, then the boiling water.  Whisk til smooth and set aside.

1 C (2 sticks) butter

1 can pumpkin 

2 tsp. spices - any combination you like of cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, cloves, etc.

3/4 C boiling water 

In a third bowl or large pyrex measuring pitcher, whisk together: 

1/2 C buttermilk (or sour milk you have made with milk and a bit of vinegar or lemon juice)

2 large eggs

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp vanilla 

Stir pumpkin mixture into flour mixture partway, then add buttermilk mixture and thoroughly combine. 

Pour into baking sheet; bake for 20 minutes.  Remove and let cool. 

Frost cooled cake with your favorite cream cheese frosting!  

FROSTING - whisk in mixer: 

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1 stick butter softened

16 oz powdered sugar

dash of salt 

1-3 T milk or cream for thinning 

Chocolate Applesauce Cake

Chocolate Applesauce Cake

I grew up with this homey comforting cake, which my Mom always made in the fall.  It is the easiest cake to make (no making frosting or waiting for the cake to cool), so yummy and always a hit.  You can feel good about it since there is applesauce in it;).  

Cake ingredients: 

1 stick butter, softened

1 1/2 C sugar

2 eggs

2 C flour

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt 

2 T cocoa powder

2 C applesauce (unsweetened) - most of a 1 lb jar 

Topping ingredients: 

2 T sugar

1 C chocolate chips

1 C chopped walnuts or pecans 

Instructions: 

1. Butter a 9x13 pan
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
3. Cream butter and sugar; add eggs and mix.
4. Add all remaining ingredients and stir until ingredients are just incorporated. 
5. Spread batter into pan
6. Mix topping ingredients together in a small bowl;  sprinkle over top of batter. 
7. Bake 30-35 minutes (check with a toothpick)

Serve warm, plain, or with whipped cream or ice cream; and if there are any leftovers the next day, microwave individual pieces for 10 seconds or so until warm - yum!  Freezes well.  

Cranberry Upside Down Cake

This is from Cooking Light years ago.  At Kaela's request...

Cranberry Upside Down Cake

2 T butter
1/2 C brown sugar
1/4 C chopped pecans, toasted
1 12 oz package fresh cranberries (3 C)

1 1/2 C flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
3/4 C granulated sugar
3 T butter, softened
2 large egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla

1/2 C milk

2 large egg whites

whipping cream

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Melt butter in 8x8 pan*, sprinkle with brown sugar, bake for a couple of minutes.  Remove pan and top with pecans and cranberries.
2.  Combine dry ingredients.
3.  Cream butter and sugar, add egg yolks and vanilla.
4.Add dry ingredients and milk, alternating, beginning and ending with the flour.  Mix after each addition.
5.  Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form; fold into batter.
6.  Spread the batter over the cranberries.  Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.  Cool just for  5 minutes or so, loosen edges of cake with a knife, and invert cake onto a plate.

YUM.  Serve with tangy whipped cream (cream, a dollop of sour cream, a pinch of salt, some brown sugar)

*you can also use a 9 inch deep dish pie plate.  Just consider the shape and size of the serving plate you are going to use.

Buttery Yellow Cake

Buttery Yellow Cake - 

6 servings.

Makes one round layer.  This is perfect for serving with whipped cream and strawberries.  This is the "Rich and Tender Yellow Cake" from Cook's Illustrated, but with less flour.   Someone posted this on line as a sponge cake, but it's not a sponge.  It's dense and buttery.    It is important to use cake flour!


Ingredients:

2 large eggs
1/4 C milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

1 C cake flour
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 C sugar
1/4 tsp salt (heaping) - if you double recipe, use 3/4 tsp salt

1/2 C (1 stick) good butter, cut into 8 pieces and softened a bit

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2.  Butter a 9" round cake pan - and line bottom with parchment paper (also butter the parchment paper)
3.  Whisk the eggs, milk, and vanilla together in small bowl; set aside.
4.  Place dry ingredients into mixer bowl.  With the mixer running at the lowest speed, add the butter to the dry ingredients, one piece at a time; continue mixing until the butter is reduced to the size of small peas, or the mixture almost looks like course sand.
5.  Add the wet mixture, one half at a time, and mix thoroughly after each addition.
6.  Pour batter into prepared cake pan.  Bake 20-23 minutes.  Let cool in pan about 20 minutes.  Run knife around edges and turn cake out on to a cooking rack.

So good with plenty of strawberries,  and a dollop of whipped cream:

Tangy whipped cream: 

1 C heavy cream
1/4 C sour cream
1/4 C brown sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla
tiny dash salt

Whip together in a mixing bowl and serve right away!

YUM!

xo
Mom

Rich and Tender Yellow Cake

Rich and Tender Yellow Cake 

This is simplified from Cook's Illustrated Best Recipe cookbook, page 471.

4 large eggs, room temp
1/2 C whole milk, room temp
2 tsp vanilla 
2 1/4 C cake flour
1 1/2 C sugar
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
2 sticks butter, softened, each stick cut into 8 pieces

1.  Preheat oven 350.  Grease 2 9" cake pans with Crisco, and cover the bottoms with rounds of parchment paper.  Grease the paper, dust pans with flour, and tap out excess.  (This is tedious but important!).  If making mini cupcakes, just swirl a little butter or Crisco into each cup.

2.  Beat eggs, milk, and vanilla with a fork in a large pyrex ball.   

3.  In mixer, combine dry ingredients.  With mixer running low, add the butter one piece at a time to "cut in" the butter.  Mix about 30 seconds after all butter has been added, until the mixture looks "sandy and pebbly."

Add the egg mixture, all but about 1/2 C, and mix on low til incorporated.  Then increase speed to medium high and beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute.   Scrape sides and bottom of bowl.  Add remaining egg mixture in slow steady stream.  Scrape sides of bowl, beat again briefly until batter is thoroughly combined.  Mixture may look curdled and this is OK.  

4.  Divide batter into pans and smooth out with spatula. Bake until light golden and skewer inserted in center comes out clean, 20-25 minutes.   Cool on rack 10 minutes.  Run a knife around the edges to loosen cake.  Invert cake onto cooling rack.  Cool completely and then frost and enjoy! 

Chocolate Cupcakes

Chocolate Cupcakes

These are so fun to make "mini" - modified slightly from a Barefoot Contessa recipe.   Let the butter, eggs, buttermilk, and sour cream come to room temp before beginning.

12 T butter

2/3 C sugar
2/3 C brown sugar

2 extra-large eggs
2 tsp vanilla

1 C buttermilk
1/2 C sour cream

(optional 1/4 tsp espresso powder)

1 3/4 C flour
1 C cocoa powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

1.  Preheat oven to 350.
2.   Cream butter and sugars til light and fluffy.  Add vanilla and eggs.  Mix well.
3.   In separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and sour cream.
4.   In anoher bowl, mix together dry ingredients.
5.   On low speed, add the wet and dry mixtures alternately to the butter mixture, beginning with the buttermilk mixture and ending with the flour mixture.  Give the mixture a few folds with a rubber spatula to make sure it is smooth.
5.  Fill cupcake liners or mini cupcake tins.  For regular cupcakes, bake about 20-23 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.  Bake much less for mini cupcakes.  Cool for 10 minutes in pan, and then let cool completely before frosting.  These cupcakes freeze really well!