Lora Brody’s Chocolate Cherry Torte
April 1, 2011 at 4:51 pm | Posted in cakes & tortes, sweet things | 14 CommentsTags: baking, cake, chocolate
I know that it’s technically spring, but the weather here seems to have missed the memo. I was hoping that the light snow called for in this morning’s forecast was just an April fool’s joke, but, alas, it was for real. Rhubarb and ramps have gotta be just around the corner, though, so I’m going to take these (hopefully) final chilly days to squeeze in some of the heavier desserts I won’t be in the mood for soon. Things like this dense, rich Chocolate-Cherry Torte.
I think this was my husband’s dream cake….chocolate, almonds and cherries…all his favorite things together in one. I loved the fudgy texture of the cake itself, and, of course, the chocolate ganache glaze. The thin layer of marzipan in between the cake and glaze was a nice flavor touch. This isn’t a difficult cake (in fact, you can make the batter in the food processor), but there are a few steps from start to finish. A fun project for a chilly day spent inside!
Lora Brody’s Chocolate Cherry Torte- makes 8 to 12 servings
adapted from The Essential New York Times Cookbook by Amanda Hesser
Steph’s Note: You can use semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, depending on how sweet you’d like the cake to be. I found jarred Morello cherries at Trader Joe’s. I used marzipan in lieu of almond paste here.
for the cake:
3 T finely ground fresh bread crumbs
one 24 oz jar pitted Morello or sour cherries
6 oz dark chocolate
12 T softened unsalted butter, plus some for greasing pan
2/3 c granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 t vanilla extract
1/2 t almond extract
1/2 c ground almonds
2/3 c flour2 T confectioner’s sugar
8 oz almond paste (or marzipan)
for the glaze:
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tsp. instant espresso powder
8 oz. dark chocolate
-Preheat oven to 350°F; put rack in center of oven. Butter a 9″ or 10″ springform pan. Add the breadcrumbs and shake pan to coat bottom and sides. Shake out the excess. Drain cherries well and set aside.
-Melt chocolate in double boiler over barely simmering water, stirring occasionally.
-Put the butter and sugar into a mixer or food processor and blend until light and creamy. Add one egg and mix well. Then add second egg and mix well. Add the extracts. Add the melted chocolate and mix gently or process in a few quick pulses. Mix in the almonds and the flour, and finally, the remaining egg.
-Pour and scrape the batter into prepared pan. Smooth top with a spatula. Arrange cherries in close concentric circles on top (the entire surface should be covered) and press them gently into batter so just the tops are showing. If the surface is uneven, smooth it out with a wet spatula. There may be a few cherries leftover.
-Bake for 50 minutes to one hour. Don’t overbake. The cake may look dry on top, but will be moist inside. Remove from pan and cool completely on rack.
-Put a length of waxed paper on flat surface and sprinkle with confectioner’s’ sugar. Work the almond paste into a flat round and turn it in the sugar. Cover with the second sheet of waxed paper and roll out into a circle the diameter of the cake. It should be quite thin (about 1/16th”). Take off top layer of waxed paper.
-Using the cake pan as a guide, cut out a circle that will fit the top of the cake exactly. Save extra pieces to patch any torn part or use for decorations. Cover the cake with the almond-paste round.
-To make the glaze, bring cream and coffee to a slow boil in heavy sauce pan. Take it off the heat and add the chocolate; stir gently until the chocolate is melted with no lumps (you can strain it if lumpy). Let the glaze cool briefly, until spreadable. Thin it with 1-2 t hot water if it’s too thick.
-Place cake on a rack over a sheet of waxed paper to catch drippings. Pour a thin layer chocolate glaze over the cake spreading it with a spatula. It should cover the top and sides of cake. Chill the cake briefly and and a second coat. Decorate if you wish (you can make roses or cut-outs from any almond paste scraps).
-This cake will keep unrefrigerated in a cool place for 2 days. It can be refrigerated, but the glaze will lose shine.
Please note that the publisher, W.W. Norton, sent me a copy of this book…but I would have bought it anyway!
Tuesdays with Dorie: Pecan Powder Puffs
March 29, 2011 at 12:01 am | Posted in cookies & bars, groups, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 12 CommentsTags: baking, cookies
Even if you’ve never heard of a Pecan Powder Puff, you probably already know what’s up with these cookies. You’ve likely seen (and tasted) them under one of their other aliases: Russian tea cakes, Mexican wedding cookies, etc. Something that goes by that many names sounds a little sneaky, but if you like nuts, they are really one of the nicest little cookies you’ll come across.
These little puffs are full of ground pecans (although you could certainly use walnuts or almonds in their place). They get their sweetness mostly from a liberal coating of powdered sugar….preferably enough powdered sugar to make you cough a little bit…know what I mean? They are crumbly, but melt in your mouth. If it’s still chilly enough where you live for hot cocoa, the two are a perfect match. I wish I’d made them a little bigger. I wish I’d made more of them. *sigh*
For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan or read Buttercream Barbie, as it was Tia’s pick this week. Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!
Tuesdays with Dorie: Honey-Nut Brownies
March 22, 2011 at 12:01 am | Posted in cookies & bars, groups, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 15 CommentsTags: baking, dessert
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve flipped through the book and wondered what this Honey-Nut Brownie would be like. Well, now I don’t have to wonder anymore. If, for you, the word “brownie” immediately calls to mind a rich, fudgey square of chocolatey goodness, then you may want to adjust your mindset a bit if you go off to make these. There is still goodness, but it is more cakey than fudgey, and tastes more of honey than chocolate. There is a little chocolate in the base, but “blondie” may be a better description here. A few extra chocolate chips in the batter and a quick ganache icing on top will boost the cacao factor, though, if that’s what your after.
Even though the texture is on the cakey side, it’s still chewy, I guess thanks to the honey. It occurred to me that slicing these brownies in half and sandwiching them with vanilla ice cream might be tasty. That’s what I did with half of my tray (I iced the other half with ganache). They weren’t firmed up by photo-time, but I assure you, they were pretty good!
I used Tremblay Apiaries’ Summerflower Honey and almonds in my brownies. For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan or read Suzy Homemaker, as it was Suzy’s pick this week. Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!
Tuesdays with Dorie: Citrus-Currant Sunshine Muffins
March 15, 2011 at 12:01 am | Posted in breakfast things, groups, muffins/quick breads, tuesdays with dorie | 21 CommentsTags: baking, breakfast, muffins
Muffins– two weeks in a row! I actually made and ate last week’s muffins two+ years ago, so I was glad to have another batch pop up this week. These may look as sunny and yellow as last Tuesday’s, but that’s because of orange and lemon instead of corn. A good citrus kick keeps these muffins from being too sweet, so you don’t feel so guilty having them for brekkie. I swapped out spelt flour for about a third of the AP, just to health them up a bit more. And if my currants look a little purple, it’s because they’re actually dried wild blueberries. I would have used currants if I had them, but blueberries go well with the citrus anyway.
For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan or read Bella Baker, as it was Lauryn’s pick this week. Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!
And, in case you missed it, Olive Oil Citrus Cake is another good way to brighten your day with Vitamin C.
Whiskey-Soaked Dark Chocolate Bundt Cake
March 13, 2011 at 3:53 pm | Posted in bundt cakes, cakes & tortes, simple cakes, sweet things | 9 CommentsTags: baking, cake, chocolate
I’m not an Irish girl (although with my reddish hair and fair skin, you can’t imagine how often I’m asked), but I’m still up for celebrating Saint Patrick’s Day. I’m long done with the overcrowed pub thing though, so this year I’m going to get my booze on with Melissa Clarke’s Whiskey-Soaked Dark Chocolate Bundt instead. It is loaded with a whole cup of whiskey, Jameson Irish in this case, and if you like this sort of thing, it is amazingly good. The crumb is tight and not fluffy, but instead of being a dense chocolate cake, the texture is soft as velvet.
If you read through the recipe, you’ll notice that the cake isn’t meant to be frosted. It truly doesn’t need it, but my cake needed it. You see, I decided to ignore the direction to flour my Bundt pan. Usually a good spray is all I need to get a clean release, but when I went to turn this cake out the entire outer layer stuck to the pan. Crappola. I patched back what I could (and ate what I couldn’t!), and then whipped up a quick gancahe to spackle and hide my goof. I think I did a good job with the reconstructive surgery– I can barely tell.
Bottoms up!
Whiskey-Soaked Dark Chocolate Bundt Cake- makes 10 to 12 servings
adapted from Melissa Clark’s fabulous book In the Kitchen with A Good Appetite
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened, more for greasing pan
2 cups all-purpose flour, more for dusting pan
5 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1/4 cup instant espresso powder
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup bourbon, rye or other whiskey, more for sprinkling
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
confectioners’ sugar, for garnish (optional)
-Grease and flour a 10-cup-capacity Bundt pan (or two 8- or 9-inch loaf pans). Preheat oven to 325° F. In microwave oven or double boiler over simmering water, melt chocolate. Let cool.
-Put espresso and cocoa powders in a 2-cup (or larger) glass measuring cup. Add enough boiling water to come up to the 1 cup measuring line. Mix until powders dissolve. Add whiskey and salt; let cool.
-Using an electric mixer, beat 1 cup butter until fluffy. Add sugar and beat until well combined. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract, baking soda and melted chocolate, scraping down sides of bowl with a rubber spatula.
-On low speed, beat in a third of the whiskey mixture. When liquid is absorbed, beat in 1 cup flour. Repeat additions, ending with whiskey mixture. Scrape batter into prepared pan and smooth top. Bake until a cake tester inserted into center of cake comes out clean, about 1 hour 10 minutes for Bundt pan (loaf pans will take less time, start checking them after 55 minutes).
-Transfer cake to a rack. Unmold after 15 minutes and sprinkle warm cake with more whiskey. Let cool before serving, garnished with confectioners’ sugar if you like.
Tuesdays with Dorie: Corniest Corn Muffins
March 8, 2011 at 12:01 am | Posted in breakfast things, groups, muffins/quick breads, tuesdays with dorie | 8 Comments
Boy howdy, did I ever jump the gun on this recipe. I made these Corniest Corn Muffins all the way back in 2008. We were still living in Sydeny…sheesh. But I do remember them. Even remember that we ate them with turkey chili instead of for breakfast (I reduced the sugar to 4 tablespoons for that reason).
Corn muffins are really little cornbreads. I’m well aware of the North vs South cornbread rivalry that divides a large chunk of our nation. I, however, did not grow up in a home with fierce opinions about “proper” cornbread. My parents were raised in the Midwest, and I don’t think this debate ever even crossed their minds, so, as a result, I, too, am a bit of an agnostic when it comes to cornbread. I’ll tell you what I liked about these muffins, though. I liked the kernels of fresh corn that gave them extra texture and craggy, golden tops. I liked their crumbly, grainy crumb and their little bit of sweetness. I’ve inherited my Grandpa W’s old cornstick molds (like these only vintage!)…perhaps I should see if these muffins make good sticks, too?
For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan (it’s also here on Diner’s Journal) or read My Next Life, as it was Jill’s pick this week. Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!
French Fridays with Dorie: Savory Cheese and Scallion Bread
March 4, 2011 at 6:54 pm | Posted in french fridays w dorie, groups, quick breads, savory things | 19 CommentsTags: baking, bread
Cheese bread! cheesy bread! I went nuts when I saw this recipe was coming up for FFWD. Who the heck wouldn’t want to eat cheesy, onioney (is that a word?) homemade bread? I wanted to eat it so much that I made a whole big loaf, instead of a mini or half-loaf. We had some the day it was baked with homemade tomato soup– so good!– and some went into the freezer, because it will be awesome alongside scrambled eggs for a weekend breakfast.
If you shy away from making bread at home, or fear yeast, or whatever, don’t worry here. This is a quick bread, much like a muffin. In fact, you can even turn the loaf into cheese muffins, if you are so inclined. The original recipe uses chives, but I didn’t have any and used scallions instead. A combo of cheddar and Gruyère was just right, and made this a great, easy, cheesy bread that I’ll bake again and again.
For the recipe, see Around my French Table by Dorie Greenspan (it’s also on The Washington Post’s site). Don’t forget to check out my fellow francophiles’ posts!
Tuesdays with Dorie: Chocolate Pots de Crème
March 1, 2011 at 12:02 am | Posted in groups, pudding/mousse, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 13 Comments
Pots de Crème are baked custards…like pudding, but with the richness dialed up. Lots of cream and yolks means a little portion can go a long way (although I’m confident I could consume a couple of these babies if I really wanted to). First you make a tempered egg custard… Dorie didn’t mention straining it, but I did because the thought of those little white egg squigglies gives me shivers…and then you stir in ganache. After you portion the mix into your little “pots” you bake them in a covered water bath (Dorie says you can bake it covered with plastic wrap, but I used foil instead because I’m suspicious of hot plastics). Let them chill, and you have quite a luxurious treat. I don’t see why you couldn’t mess around by adding some flavors that play well with chocolate, like a dash vanilla extract, a sprinkle of espresso powder or a wee bit of booze.
For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan or read Black Cat Cooking, as Christine picked it this week. Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!
Tuesdays with Dorie: Toasted Almond Scones
February 22, 2011 at 12:01 am | Posted in biscuits/scones, breakfast things, groups, tuesdays with dorie | 22 Comments
A warm scone and a hot cup of coffee (and a giant bowl of fruit salad!) sounds great to me on a chilly morning. Good call on the Toasted Almond Scones, Mike! These scones, with their trifecta of almond flavor (ground, chopped and extract), sounded so appealing to me that instead of making my usual half-batch, I went nuts and did a whole thing. Freezer food is oh-so conveinent.
I haven’t had the best luck getting my scones and biscuits to rise mightily (in fact, some could be mistaken for pancakes), so I patted these out a little bigger and fatter than Dorie suggests. As a result, I didn’t get the full twelve the recipe yields, but I did get my most successful batch of scones to date! Flaky and tall. These are sooo much better than the coffee shop variety. They are barely sweet, and we ate ours with blueberry jam.
For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan or read Living Out West. Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!
Olive Oil Citrus Cake
February 19, 2011 at 10:49 am | Posted in cakes & tortes, simple cakes, sweet things | 14 CommentsTags: baking, cake, dessert
We’ve had a long, cold winter here, but for two days this week we got a little peek of spring. The temperature has gone back downtown, but two days of melting snow and no jackets required has left me feeling less weighed down and in the mood for something fresh and light. I have heaps of citrus in the fridge right now, and have had my eye on this Olive Oil Citrus Cake from a sweet little book called Rustic Fruit Desserts for a while. It is bright and sunny in flavor (kind of reminded me of Fruit Loops!) and moist and springy in texture. It puts me in the mood for more things citrus.
The recipe calls for a whole cup of fruity extra virgin olive oil, so I broke out my special bottle. To be a little more thrifty in terms of both dollars and calories, next time I may experiment with 2/3 cup of oil and 1/3 cup of low-fat yogurt. Sounds like it would work here, no? The recipe calls for grapefruit, lemon and orange zests, but these can definitely be switched up. I didn’t have a grapefruit on hand, so I subbed lime zest in the cake and orange juice in the glaze. I’m sure this cake would be excellent even made with only lemon or orange.
Olive Oil Citrus Cake– makes a 9-inch cake
adapted from Rustic Fruit Desserts by Cory Schreiber and Julie Richardson
Steph’s Note: Use a fruity olive oil here rather than a peppery one. Feel free to mix up the citrus, depending on what you have at home.
1 1/4 c unsifted (5 oz) cake flour
1 t baking powder
1/4 t fine sea salt
3 eggs, room temperature
1 T plus 3/4 c (5 1/4 oz) granulated sugar
zest of 1 grapefruit
zest of 1 orange
zest of 1 lemon
1 1/2 t vanilla extract
1/4 t lemon oil (optional)
1 c extra-virgin olive oil¾ c powdered sugar
2 T freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
-Preheat the oven to 350° F. Using a paper towel, coat a 9-inch by 2-inch round baking pan with olive oil (I also lined mine with a parchment round), then sprinkle it with about 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar.
-To make the cake, sift flour, baking powder, and salt together twice. Using a handheld mixer or stand mixer with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs, sugar, and zests on high speed for 5 minutes, until the eggs are thickened and lighter in color. Add the vanilla and lemon oil. Turn the mixer down to medium-low speed and drizzle the olive oil into the batter, pouring slowly along the edge of the bowl. Add the flour and mix on low speed until just incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
-Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the cake is golden and domed slightly in the center. Cool to room temperature.
-To make the glaze, sift the powdered sugar into a small bowl. Add the grapefruit juice, and whisk to combine. Pour the glaze over the cooled cake.
-Wrapped in plastic wrap, this cake will keep at room temperature for 2 to 3 days.
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