Simple For Recipe: December 2019

Tuesday, 31 December 2019

Key West Rum Cake

Key West Rum Cake (Source: Maida Heatter's Cakes (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 2011 ed., pg. 37).

Well, this did not turn out to be one of the most attractive cakes but oh my gosh, is it good! I made it almost two weeks ago, and it is still divine, the remainder wrapped in plastic wrap. If we didn't have a hundred other desserts lying about, I'm sure it would have been long gone. It is still moist but then again, I suppose it should be with almost 1/2 cup of rum soaked into it.

The cake is also known as "Pirate's Cake". It is similar to a pound cake. After it has baked, you drench it with 2/3 cup of rum. The rum and 2 cups of pecans make the cake very heavy. I slightly under baked the bake which probably made it even moister but it was done. It didn't slice well though and was a tad messy. A fork (or spoon!) was definitely needed. Now we are just pinching off pieces of it. One bite will satisfy any sweet craving. The combination of the chocolate with the rum and lime juice mixture is divine.

I used a Bundt pan for this but a tube pan might work even better. She says to use a tube pan and I'm not sure why I didn't do that.

Cake

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
1 oz. unsweetened chocolate
8 oz. (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs
1/4 tsp. baking soda
2 cups toasted pecans

Rum Syrup

1/2 cup water
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup light rum
1 TBS. lime juice

Preheat the oven to 325. Butter or spray a large tube pan (13-14 cup capacity) and dust with bread crumbs.

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

Melt both the semi-sweet and the unsweetened chocolate in a double-boiler over hot water. Set aside.

Beat the butter until soft and add the vanilla and almond extracts.

Add the sugar...

Add the eggs, one at a time, until mixed.

Add the sifted dry ingredients on low speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.

Remove one cup of the batter and place it in a separate bowl -

To this batter, add the baking soda -

and the melted chocolate - mix well

Using a spoon, place dollops of the batter you just mixed into the prepared pan -

Smooth it out with the back of the spoon -

Now, return to the remaining batter and add the pecans to it -

Spread the second batter over the chocolate batter and smooth it out -

Bake for 1 hour or until a tester comes out clean from the center.

While the cake is baking, prepare the rum syrup:

Stir the water and sugar in a saucepan, bringing it to a boil over medium heat. Let it boil for 5 minutes without stirring. Remove from the heat and let it cool completely. Then stir in the rum and the lime juice.

When the cake is done, leave it in the pan and brush the hot syrup over the cake until it is all absorbed.

Invert the cake onto a cooling rack and remove it from the pan while it is still warm.

Cool completely before cutting.

Labels: cakes

Thursday, 26 December 2019

Hazelnut Lace Cookies

Lace Cookies are thin, crisp, delicate and buttery cookies with a deliciously sweet taste and a toffee-like flavour. They are made with just a few ingredients and the batter comes together in just minutes. As they bake, they spread out to form a lace pattern, hence the name. Enjoy them as they are or sandwich two cookies with a layer of chocolate. If you prefer a less brittle consistency, use up to 35 grams flour.


110 g Unsalted butter 100 g Raw sugar 12 g Spelt pastry flour 80 g Hazelnut meal A large pinch of sea salt 30 ml Heavy cream 1 tsp Vanilla extract 1 tsp Finely grated orange zest

Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Line 2-3 baking trays with baking paper.
Melt butter and raw sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the sugar dissolves and butter melts. Stir in spelt flour, ground hazelnut, salt and cream until incorporated and slightly thickened.
Remove from the heat and stir in vanilla extract and orange zest. Drop the batter by the teaspoon onto the baking sheet, leaving about 2-3 inches of space between each one.
Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the edges of the cookies start to turn dark golden brown, rotating the baking sheets halfway through. Remove from the oven and as soon as they are firm, use a wide spatula to transfer them to the rack to cool completely.

Labels: Cookies and Bars, Holiday Specials, Nuts and Seeds, Spelt

Monday, 23 December 2019

Petites Trianons

Petites Trianons
Source: Maida Heatter's Cookies (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 1997 ed.), pg. 119.

I thought this recipe sounded awfully familiar when I was making them and then a light bulb went off - Katharine Hepburn's Brownies. I've made Katharine's brownies many times and they have always been wonderful. I compared the two recipes side by side and the only notable difference was that this recipe has 1 cup of flour while Katharine's only have 1/4 cup and one cup of nuts. When these were finished, however, they were not as good - very bland. It must be that the full cup of flour plays a big part in the overall taste and texture. These were also a bit dry and I probably baked them too long. Maida says 28 minutes exactly so I would take that with a grain of salt. Overall, I wasn't too impressed with these.

On the plus side, they are very easy to make with only a few ingredients -

Makes 16 squares or 12-14 bars

4 oz. unsalted butter
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350. Line an 8 inch square fan with foil and lightly spray or butter.

Melt the butter and chocolate in a double boiler over hot water. Set aside to cool slightly.

Stir in the sugar...

and the vanilla.

Add the eggs one at a time and mix well.

The book fails to mention what to do with the flour but I would assume that you add it now.

Bake 25-30 minutes. Do not overbake. They should remain moist in the center.

Cool in the pan for 5 minutes and then invert it out onto a wire rack and let it cool completely. Cut into small squares. They can be frozen or stored in an airtight container.

Labels: brownies, cookies

Saturday, 21 December 2019

Panettone with Poolish Sponge

Panettone is a typical bread of Milan, usually prepared and enjoyed for Christmas and New Year around Italy, and one of the symbols of the city. This cake-like bread is typically baked into a tall, cylindrical shape (empty fruit cans work great as baking pans). Traditionally, panettone is made with raisins and candied orange and lemon peel. But you can choose the dried fruits you prefer. The bread is delicious eaten fresh and keeps well in an airtight container for about a week. It also freezes well for up to two months.

Poolish is a fairly wet sponge with baker's yeast, typically made with a 1:1 ratio of flour and water by weight, that means 100% hydration.

1 package / 7 g Dry yeast
60 ml Water at 43C/110F
60 g German #550 flour ((AP or bread flour)
100 g Butter, room temperature
2 Eggs, medium
4 Egg yolks, medium
150 g Sugar

110 ml Milk at 43C/110F
Seeds of 1/2 vanilla bean
angiesrecipes
540 g German #550 flour (AP or bread flour)
1 tbsp Lemon zest
200 g Dried fruit (raisins, cranberries, cherries or apricots)
50 g Almond slices plus more for topping

To make the sponge, dissolve the yeast in 60 ml warm water in a bowl. Add 60 g flour and stir to make a very loose dough. Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for at least 6 hours, or overnight.
In the bowl of your mixer, combine the butter, eggs, yolks, sugar, milk, and vanilla seeds. Add in the starter dough. Gradually add the flour, beat on low speed just until dough begins to leave the sides of the bowl and pull together. Increase speed to medium, and beat until the dough becomes smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.
Place the dough in a greased bowl and turn it once to coat both sides. Cover bowl of dough with plastic wrap, and let rise on the kitchen counter until doubled in size (mine took about 5 hours). Or leave it in the fridge overnight. With your hands, flatten the dough on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle. Evenly distribute the lemon zest, raisins, apricots, and almond over the dough. Fold the dough to seal the fruit and knead to distribute the fruit throughout the dough.
Line a 8-inch mousse ring or baking pan (or panettone paper case) with parchment paper that has been well buttered on both sides and set it on a baking tray. Place the dough in the mould, cover with a towel, and let rise for 1-2 hours in a warm place. The key here is to have the rise above the rim of the pan or case.
Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Make a cross on the top of the bread with a sharp knife and insert a cube of butter. Sprinkle some extra almond flakes if you desired. Bake the bread on the middle rack of the oven for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 180C/350F. Continue to bake for 30-35 minutes until the surface is golden and crispy. The panettone is ready when a skewer comes out clean.
Place the bread on a rack to cool for 10 minutes before removing it from the mold. Dust the bread with icing sugar if desired. Be sure the bread has cooled completely before wrapping for storage.