30

Mar

Lemon Cornmeal Breakfast Cake

This is a beautifully simple, delicious breakfast cake. Cake for breakfast??? Oh, yes, oh, yes.

Easter is in exactly one week + 3 days…can you believe it? Time is flying, Lent is flying and my internship is in its final three weeks.

Since Spring has officially sprung, it was time for a citrusy happy breakfast treat. Something easy, no-fuss and semi-healthy. Well, not necessarily healthy, but something not fried-and-artery-clogging.

Joy the Baker had this little breakfast cake. I have made some lemon cakes before, mostly with ganache, but nothing with cornmeal. And cornmeal is quickly becoming my new “flour of choice.” I’ve altered her recipe to make it even more “healthy,” as healthy as breakfast cake can be. You can bake it in your grandma’s heavy cornbread skillet or a simple 9″ round baking pan. My gma’s is in storage, so a pan had to do.

Lemon Cornmeal Breakfast Cake
This lovely, easy cake is hearty and filling on grab-it-and-go mornings. It is not too sweet, a little tangy and very moist without falling apart in your hand. Yes, I eat cake with my hands when I’m running out the door. Please don’t judge until you taste this cake!
makes one 9-inch cake
recipe adapted from Bon Appetit, April 2009 and Joy the Baker


1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk (or regular milk)
2 large eggs
1 tablespoons lemon zest
4 TB butter, melted until browned then cooled slightly

Lemon Glaze:
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.
If using a cast iron skillet:  In a 9 or 10-inch cast iron skillet, melt butter over medium heat until browned and fragrant.  Use a potholder to grab onto the cast iron and carefully tilt back and forth so the melted butter greases the sides of the pan.  Remove browned butter from the cast iron to cool, and set the buttery cast iron aside.
If using a 9-inch round cake pan: Melt butter and spoon 1 TB of the butter into the baking pan. Swirl around so it coats the bottom and sides of the pan.

In a large bowl, whisk together flours, cornmeal, sugars, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  In a small bowl, carefully whisk together eggs, buttermilk/milk, lemon zest and remaining 3 TB of butter.  Add the wet ingredients, all at once, to the dry ingredients and fold together with a spatula.  Fold until very few lumps remain.  Pour batter into the prepared buttered pan and place in the oven.

While the cake bakes, whisk together powdered sugar and lemon juice for the glaze. (I use a little sauce whisk that is mini and fabulous.)  Set aside.

Bake cake for 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.  Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes.  Use a skewer or a fork to poke holes in the cake. (This is fun.) Pour over the glaze, spread evenly and let rest for about 30 minutes before serving.  This cake will last for up to 7 days, covered in the fridge.

Dare you to abstain from tasting before breakfast tomorrow morning…dare ya!

Happy eating and happier spring!
Laurel

~Laurel~

14 years ago Short URL

/////

12

Mar

Easy Vegan Chocolate Cake

It was one of those days yesterday.

I felt sick, icky, lethargic, and literally couldn’t get out of bed until 1:30. The time change did not help. And this almost never happens.

By 5 or so, I finally felt a little better. By 7, I wanted to bake something comforting. But we were lacking, in no particular order:
eggs
butter
milk.

The trifecta ingredients to make anything baked and comforting were missing from our fridge. No problem, let’s go vegan! Joy the Baker’s simple chocolate cake is wonderful, and I spiced it up just a little, for fun. I hope you devour this cake as we are currently doing. MMM.

Easy Vegan Chocolate Cake
Slightly adapted from Joy 

This cake is made for people who don’t have the time or energy to run to the store for ingredients. It is simple, chocolaty and delicious…enough that my husband didn’t even know it was vegan! And he didn’t care because it is that good.

Makes 1 9-inch bundt cake or 18 cupcakes or 12 cupcakes + 1 mini cake (in a bread pan)–>I did this one
2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Dash cinnamon
1 cup warm coffee
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce (or add 1/4 cup add’l oil)
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
small handful of chocolate chips (optional)

Place rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease a 9-inch bundt pan with vegetable shortening and dust with cocoa powder.  Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  In a medium bowl, whisk together coffee, oil, and vanilla.
Add the wet ingredients, all at once to the dry ingredients and whisk until just combined.  Stir in chocolate chips and cocoa nibs, if using.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan.  The batter will be relatively thick.  Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. (For cupcakes, bake 18 minutes)
Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.
Cake will last, well wrapped at room temperature, for up to 3 days. 

Vegan chocolate banana cakelet (shorter cake)

**If you’re feeling crazy, like I was, chop up a banana and throw it into the batter. Maybe 2 bananas, I don’t know.
 

Vegan chocolate cupcakes

Happy eating!
Laurel

~Laurel~

14 years ago Short URL 2 Comments

///

09

Aug

Lemon Cake with Fudge Frosting

Matt heard from our friend/his bandmate Chris that they were making a cake the other night to accompany a cookout. Matt requested I make a cake here. What kind? I asked. He thought lemon with chocolate frosting would be lovely. I thought it would be weird. I was wrong. He thought I’d whip up a cake mix out of the box. I spent 2 1/2 hours making it from scratch. He was wrong. But it’s okay, because now we have a yummy delicious cake that I gently adapted from Ina Garten (Barefoot Contessa).
http://proutils.github.com/lemon/
That Ina fascinates me. I’ve only seen 5 minutes of her TV show here and there, at the dentist office or while dozing at home. But she’s so fun! I think it’s because all of her food looks really tasty and her “no fuss, no stress” attitude makes the dishes look createable in our own kitchens at home. So I tried making her lemon cake. This one’s delicious and unique because you basically pour a lemon simple syrup over the lemon cake, making it very moist for days and adding a lemon punch in every bite. If you like lemon, use the 6 lemons she calls for. I do love the lemon, but I think I’ll scale it back to 4 next time to lessen the tang. Here goes.


Super Lemon Cake

Makes 2 rounds or 2 loaves

gently adapted from Ina Garten

Ingredients

  • 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature (or 1 stick butter + 1 stick margarine)
  • 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar, divided
  • 4 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1/3 cup grated lemon zest (6 to 8 large lemons)
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 3/4 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray and flour 2 (8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch) loaf pans. (I used one loaf and one 8 inch round), lining the bottom of the pans with parchment paper (optional).

Cream the butter and 2 cups granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, and the lemon zest.
2: Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. In another bowl, combine 1/4 cup lemon juice, the buttermilk, and vanilla. Add the flour and buttermilk mixtures alternately to the batter, beginning and ending with the flour. Divide the batter evenly between the pans, smooth the tops, and bake for 35–45 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean.
3: Combine 1/2 cup granulated sugar with 1/2 cup lemon juice in a small saucepan and cook over low heat until the sugar dissolves. When the cakes are done, allow to cool for 10 minutes. Remove the cakes from the pans and set them on a rack set over a tray. Spoon the lemon syrup over them. Allow the cakes to cool completely.

See the puddle of lemon syrup on the plate? The cake will soak this up within an hour.

For the frosting…
I used another simple recipe that I found in an old cookbook of my grandmother’s. It is not at all healthy, but this is a special occasion cake anyhow.

Creamy Fudge Frosting
makes 3 cups of frosting, or plenty for two round cakes or two loaves

3 cups powdered sugar
3/4 cup cocoa powder (unsweetened)
1 stick of softened butter
4 tablespoons whipped topping (like Cool Whip, but you can use heavy cream, too)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract


1: In a medium bowl, sift the sugar and cocoa powder.


2: In a large bowl, cream together the butter and 1 cup of sugar/cocoa mixture, along with 1 TB of Cool Whip. Whip until smooth. Repeat process, adding 1 more cup of sugar mixture with 1 TB of Cool Whip. Repeat one last time, making sure all ingredients are smooth and creamy. 

3: Spread on cake with a spatula or dull knife.
   

So, there you have it, the lemon cake with fudge frosting that sounded kinda weird but tasted pretty great. Happy baking and happier eating!

*If you wanted to mix up the lemon cake with a simple glaze or vanilla frosting, I would add 2 TB of chopped mint or rosemary to the batter for a little pizazz.

~Laurel~

15 years ago Short URL 1 Comment

//

Proudly powered by WordPress
Theme: Esquire by Matthew Buchanan.