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Junior's Tiramisu Cheesecake, Dr. Death, DDR. and my 400th Post!

 

This is my 400th post! That's crazy!!!

I had my wisdom teeth pulled this past Thursday. I hemmed and hawed, whined and moaned to coworkers. I was scared.  I was convinced – convinced I tell you! – that I was going to wake up during the surgery and discover the evil oral surgeon perched over me with the metal shears of death waiting to rip each tooth out from my mouth slowly as his eyes burned with fire and the dental hygienist cackled in the background.

I know. I’m a huge baby. And a drama queen.

But you see, I had a horrible experience at the dentist.  Take a trip down memory lane with me, shall we?

It was 2001. I was studying in London during my fall semester of Junior year.  My best friend, Tara, and I had taken a weekend jaunt to Amsterdam and were slowly wandering around the Van Gogh museum. I was enjoying a Nip hard candy and Starry Night when all of a sudden I felt a crack. Somehow, my tooth had chipped. I thought, either I have really weak teeth or this is the strongest Nip on the face of the planet.

Unfortunately for me, I couldn’t get a dentist appointment to save my life, so I lived the four months in London with a chipped tooth. When I returned to The States, it was no surprise that I needed to have a root canal. From my evil dentist whom I hated.

He was a dentist who I had been going to for years and he was mean. Just straight up mean. I think he had a drinking problem as well (no joke). But I never tried to change dentists, because I was still under the impression that all dentists were evil.   

He was a round, middle aged man, who stood no higher than 5’8”.  His meaty, clumsy hands always fumbled when picking up the equipment.  I still remember the sound of his labored breathing as he worked on my mouth, no doubt causing greater damage on my teeth rather than fixing them (no joke. I’ve learned I need another root canal because he drilled too close to the nerve on a cavity he filled years back. Dr. Death, DDR.

 So I sat in the chair of his dim blue office with chipping paint walls as I gazed up in terror at the fluorescent lights.  He gave me a few shots of Novocain and picked up an instrument. Wait! I thought. Isn’t he supposed to let it set? Nope. Not Dr. Death, DDR. He went straight to work. I winced in pain and made a feeble sound, letting him know I wasn’t comfortable.

“I can still feel it.” I mumbled in my garbled speak that only dentists can understand.

He huffed as if it were the most ridiculous thing in the world that I could still feel it.  He gave me a few more shots of Novocain and waited five minutes, clearly annoyed that I was inconveniencing him because I could feel the drilling IN MY BRAIN.

I’ll spare you the details, but after an hour of screaming and 8 shots of Novocain later, I left his office looking like someone had hit me in the face repeatedly with a baseball bat, or just stuck a softball in my mouth with tears streaming down my face.

So now, whenever I sit in a dentist chair, I start shaking, become short of breath, and tear up a little bit when I think of Dr. Death, DDR.

However, this oral surgeon was anything but.  He was young, handsome, and extremely charismatic. I immediately was shuffled into a back room and received a cat scan. I was confused as they strapped my head to the chair and asked me to close my eyes as the machine whirled around my face. It was the chamber of death and I was going to die by wisdom tooth extraction.  I prayed that it would be a quick end as the anesthesia pulsed through my body and lulled me to sleep.

An hour later, I awoke to my boyfriend entering the room and lightly kissing me on the forehead.

“Did they start yet?” I asked.

He laughed. “Yes, you’re done.” 

We went home and I surprisingly had no pain. I leered a little bit at the sight of my chipmunk cheeks, but otherwise, I was fine. No pain. No aching. Nothing. But I was instructed to take it easy to not aggravate my mouth.

Well, by the weekend, I was going totally stir crazy and I wanted to eat something good. I was sick of jello. I wanted something delicious. I’ve been eyeing this tiramisu cheesecake recipe for weeks now, and I thought this would be the perfect time. Since I bored you with my dentist story, I’ll keep the cheesecake part short. You know, because this is a blog about dentists, not food.

 
I don't know how many of you have ever visited or heard of Junior's Cheesecake, a New York City historical icon in terms of dessert. They have a cookbook out featuring recipes for many of their famous cheesecakes, and this one just popped out of me. Tiramisu. Cheesecake. Two of my favorite things.  But would it be as delicious as it sounds?

YES.

This cheesecake is OUTRAGEOUS. Perfect for any cheesecake lover.  The creamy, coffee cheesecake layer is pure heaven and is topped with a layer of deliciously soft lady fingers that were soaked in a sweet tiramisu syrup made of coffee, rum, and water. The cheesecake is then encircled with more tiramisu syrup-soaked ladyfingers and finally, the entire cheesecake is topped with the most delicious, billowy, sweet mascarpone cream.

OUT. RA. GEOUS. I could have eaten the whole thing. But then I ate an entire pint of Hagen Daaz Dulce De Leche Frozen yogurt, so I couldn’t justify more than a tiny sliver of cheesecake.

Who’s got two thumbs and gains weight when she can’t eat after wisdom tooth surgery? This girl.

 

 
 

Tiramisu Cheesecake – Adapted from Junior’s Cheesecake cookbook

1 tablespoon hot water

1 tablespoon instant freeze-dried espresso or coffee

Three 8-ounce packages cream cheese (use only full fat),at room temperature

1 1/3 cups sugar

1/4 cornstarch

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

2 extra-large eggs

2/3 cup heavy or whipping cream

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Generously butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Wrap the outside of the pan will aluminum foil,covering the bottom and extending all the way up the sides.

Stir the water and espresso together in a small cup until dissolved. Put one package of the cream cheese, 1/3 cup of the sugar, and the cornstrach in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on low intil creamy, about 3 minutes, scraping the bowl down a couple of times. Blend in the remaining cream cheese, one package at a time, scraping down the bowl after each one. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat in the remaining 1 cup sugar, then the vanilla. Add coffee into the cream, add to the cream cheese mixture, and beat just until it's completely blended. Be careful not to overmix! Gently spoon the batter into the springform.

Place in a large shallow pan containing hot water that comes about 1 inch up the sides of the springform. Bake until the edges are light brown and the top is light tan, about 1 1/4 hours. Remove the cake from the water bath, transfer to a wire rack, and let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 2 hours. Then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until completely cold, preferably overnight or for at least 4 hours.

For the Tiramisu Syrup and Ladyfinger Layer:

1 cup hot water

2 tablespoon instant freeze-dried aspresso or coffee

¼ sugar

¼ cup Rum

At least 22 ladyfingers (9 for the layering and 13 for the ring around the edge – I’m sure I used more, though.)

Make the tiramisu syrup. Combine the water and espresso in a small sauce-pan until dissolved. Add the sugar and Kahlua or Rum, bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce the heat to medium, and let simmer, uncovered for 3 minutes, stirring a few times. Top the cold cheesecake (still in the pan) with a layer of ladyfingers,. Transfer the cake to the freezer until completely frozen, at least overnight and/or until ready to assemble.

For the Mascarpone Cream

1 1/2 teaspoons unflavored granulated gelatin

1 tablespoon cold water

1 1/2 cups cold heavy or whipping cream

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

2 tbsp rum

One 8- to 10-ounce carton mascarpone cheese

When you're ready to assemble the cake, make the mascarpone cream. Place the gelatin in a heatproof measuring cup, stir in the cold water, and let stand until it swells and thickens. Cook in the microwave on high about 30 seconds or over a pan of simmering water for about 1 minute, until clear and completely melted. In a medium-size bowl, whip the cream with the mixer on high until it thickens and soft peaks just begin to form. With the mixer still running, add the sugar and beat just until the cream stands up in peaks (don't over-mix or the cream will curdle). Beat in the vanilla and rum. Add the melted gelatin all at once and beat until thoroughly incorporated. Gently fold in the mascarpone with a rubber spatula.

Remove the cake from the freezer and let it stand at room temperature about 10 minutes. Release and remove the sides of the springform, then remove the cheesecake from the bottom of the pan. Transfer to a cake plate. To attach the remaining ladyfingers (26 halves) to the outside of the cake, spread a thin layer of the mascarpone cream over the flat split sides of the ladyfingers. Stand them up around the edge of the cake, rounded-side out pressing each one gently in place. Spoon the remaining mascarpone on top of the cake and gently even out with a metal spatula; it will come up almost to the top of the ladyfingers. Since the cheesecake is still very cold, the mascarpone cream will set fast.

For The Topping:

4 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate made into Chocolate Curls

1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa  powder

To decorate, cover the top of the cake with the chocolate curls, then sprinkle evenly with the cocoa. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, until the mascarpone layer is cold and set and the cheesecake layer has defrosted enough to slice easily. Slice with a sharp straight-edge knife, not a serrated one. Cover any leftover cake and refrigerate or wrap and freeze for up to 1 month.

 

Rum Drenched Vanilla Cake with Mixed Berry Compote

 

I've been an enormous slacker on TWD and for that, I apologize to all memebers, especially our fearless leader, Laurie! But now I am back in the game and have some SERIOUS catching up to do.

Wendy, of Pink Stripes, chose the Rum-Drenched Vanilla Cake and for that, I want to hug her. I can't say it enough - Alcohol in desserts is a-ok by me.  I just love the unexpected flavor that pops from spirits.  And now, I'll stop talking about how much I love the combination, for fear that all of my readers will think I actually do have a problem and will hold a virtual intervention.

I made these vanilla cakes one night when Jack and I were hosting several friends for a dinner party. Every so often, we and a few of Jack's college friends and their girlfriends/wives, whom I now consider my own friends and who I love so much, get together and have dinner or do some other fun event together (like our most recent trip to LBI).  I had decided to make several canapes - Shrimp toast, Filet Mignon with a tomato creme fraiche on water crackers, lemon-taragon meatballs with a sweet tomato glaze, and something else that is escaping me - and two desserts - a lemon tart and these rum drenched vanilla cakes.

Everything went off without a hitch, and of course, I did not take any pictures of anything because I was pressed for time and the sun was setting and I refuse - REFUSE - to take photos of my food with flash, no matter how much Jack tells me I am being ridiculous (food bloggers, you understand). The only thing that I didn't work for me were these cakes. I don't know what went wrong, but I blame the perils of New York City kitchens. My stove is the size of half a stove, and it burns at whatever temperature it feels like. Right now, it is burning at about 25 degrees higher than it should be. Items on the lower rack cook well, but items on the top rack really brown quickly, and these were no exception. I tried to rotate the pans from the top to the bottom, and I was rewarded for my efforts of moving the loaf pans with sunken, dense middles.

I decided to quickly make some rum whipped cream and a mixed berry compote, hoping that would easy the disaster that these cakes turned into. Luckily, it did. But I was still not proud of the dish and did not want to serve it to guests. As they started to arrive, I quickly hid the cakes atop my dresser in my bedroom (I live in Manhattan - I don't have much space) and forgot about it.

Hours later, after our bellys were full and we were happily drinking some summery sangria, a friend of walked out of our bedroom after using the bathroom (we have one bathroom in our apartment and it is in our bedroom - Manhattan living at its finest) and exclaimed - do you have a cake on your dresser?!

Good times, indeed.

Needless to say, I think this cake would have been phenomenal if it were not for my missteps.  Thanks to Wendy for an awesome pick!

Click here for the recipe!

Dulce de Leche Cake with Dulce De Leche Whipped Cream. Revised for Cinco De Mayo.

 

Actually, this cake wasn't revised FOR Cinco De Mayo, per se, but I just happened to make this cake on Cinco De Mayo, so I'm just going to run with it.  I really should call this a Cajeta Cake, as that is what dulce de leche is called in Mexico. 

Cajeta! 

Remember last time I made this cake, I felt that the frosting was way too sweet for the cake?  Frankly, I should have known, as it was a Paula Deen recipe, and her recipes are either meant to clog your arteries or give you a spike in natural insulin.

This time around, I looked at the frosting for the Dulce de Leche cake in Sky High Cakes.  I wanted something lighter to compliment the rich dulce de leche filling, and this frosting is a dulce de leche whipped cream frosting. 

How good does that sound?

I didn't feel like making the dulce de leche from scratch, so I just bought some homemade dulce de leche, made some homemade whipped cream, and folded in the dulce de leche and tossed in some cinnamon for good measure.

And I basically couldn't stop eating little spoonfuls of this whipped cream. At 6:30 in the morning.  Needless to say, sitting here at 8:10 am right about to go to work, I feel like crap because I just ate 1/4 a cup of dulce de leche whipped cream for breakfast.  And a tiny bit of this cake.

So let's talk about the cake, shall we?  

We all know I loved the Cooks Illustrated White Cake recipe. I love the Cooks Illustrated White Cake recipe with dulce de leche oozing from the layers.  And now, I love the Cooks Illustrated White Cake recipe with dulce de leche oozing from the layers topped with dulce de leche whipped cream frosting.  Oh yes. This cake is pure perfection. 

However, I did refrigerate the cake, to firm up the dulce de leche filling (which, when I say oozing, I mean, it OOZED. Right out of the cake layers.  I guess I should have realized that dulce de leche "sauce" is not the same as dulce de leche.). So now the cake tastes like a cake that has been refrigerated.  I'm really hoping that it regains its normal texture by the time I put this cake out to be consumed at work around noon. 

Also, I tried to put a pretty design in the side of the whipped cream, but I failed miserably, as you can tell by the photo below.  This cake may not be as pretty as the original, but I'd take this one any day. 

Old Cake:  So pretty.

   

New cake.  Well.  I was in a rush. 


 

Oh, and I topped it off with some Lindt Chili Chocolate shards. You know. For Cinco De Mayo. And of course, when Jack saw the cake, he said:

Oh, the Stegosaurus cake.

Thanks, Jack.  

Dulce de Leche Cake with Dulce De Leche Whipped Cream

• Cake recipe adapted from Cooks Illustrated (I also made a 3-layer cake, but this recipe is for a 2-layer cake.  To add the 3rd layer, increase ingredients by 1/2)
• 2 1/4 cups cake flour (9 ounces), plus more for dusting the pans 
  1 cup whole milk, at room temperature 
  6 large egg whites (3/4 cup), at room temperature 
  1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
  1 3/4 cups granulated sugar (12 1/4 ounces) 
  4 teaspoons baking powder 
  1 teaspoon table salt 
  12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), softened but still cool
• Caramel Frosting

Dulce De Leche (storebought or homemade)

• 
  
• Set oven rack in middle position. (If oven is too small to cook both layers on a single rack, set racks in upper-middle and lower-middle positions.) Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray two 9-inch round cake pans with nonstick cooking spray; line the bottoms with parchment or waxed paper rounds. Spray the paper rounds, dust the pans with flour, and invert pans and rap sharply to remove excess flour. 
• 
  
• Pour milk, egg whites, and extract into 2-cup glass measure, and mix with fork until blended. 
• Mix cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in bowl of electric mixer at slow speed. Add butter; continue beating at slow speed until mixture resembles moist crumbs, with no powdery streaks remaining. 
• 
  
• Add all but 1/2 cup of milk mixture to crumbs and beat at medium speed (or high speed if using handheld mixer) for 1 1/2 minutes. Add remaining 1/2 cup of milk mixture and beat 30 seconds more. Stop mixer and scrape sides of bowl. Return mixer to medium (or high) speed and beat 20 seconds longer. 
• 
  
• Divide batter evenly between two prepared cake pans; using rubber spatula, spread batter to pan walls and smooth tops. Arrange pans at least 3 inches from the oven walls and 3 inches apart. (If oven is small, place pans on separate racks in staggered fashion to allow for air circulation.) Bake until thin skewer or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 23 to 25 minutes. 
• 
  
• Let cakes rest in pans for 3 minutes. Loosen from sides of pans with a knife, if necessary, and invert onto wire racks. Reinvert onto additional wire racks. Let cool completely, about 1 1/2 hours.
• 
  
• Layer cakes with dulce de leche, frost with caramel buttercream and decorate as you wish! 

Dulce De Leche Whipped Cream

1 pint heavy cream

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup confectioner's sugar

1/2 cup dulce de leche

1 tsp cinnamon

In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, or using a hand mixure, mix heavy cream, cinnamon and confectioners sugar until cream holds stiff peaks.  Fold in dulce de leche until incorporated and there are no streaks remaining. Refrigerate until ready to use. 

TWD: Swedish Visiting Cake

 OK So I know these aren't the biscuits that were assigned for this week and, instead, this is last week's assignment, the Swedish Visiting Cake chosen by Nancy of Dogs Eat the Crumbs.  I finally made this dish and now must apologize Melissa of A Love at First Bite to for not completing the Sweet Cream biscuits (which I am actually going to make tonight and hopefully post tomorrow.  I hope. Oh, how I hope.)

I totally feel like the class slacker. It's almost as if I'm suffering from a bad case of senioritis and I'm spending all of my time doing make-up assignments in order to grauate.  Except I'm not graduating from anything. So this is just depressing.

Also, I have so many posts to catch up on and read, which I have started attacking, but I am nowhere near close. I've got many more delicious posts from my favorite bloggers (all of you!) that I am chugging through.  But please, if you do take one note of advice from ever reading this blog, let it be this: Don't read blogs while hungry right before you have to go to a meeting.  Your stomach will growl. You will be embarrased. That is all.
 

I feel even worse slacking on making this recipe because it takes, oh, all of about 5 minutes to put together. No joke.  Five minutes, one bowl, great, GREAT taste. Remember that Thomas Keller Almond Cake I posted about last week?  That took 30 minutes to make and needed to be made with care.  Dorie's cake? Add zest to sugar, whisk in some eggs and extract, add melted butter and flour. Combine. Put in oven. Done.

A comparison? Well, these are pretty much EXACTLY THE SAME CAKE.  The textures are slightly different, with Keller's being slightly more delicate, but overall?  If you need to make a cake in a pinch that people will love you for? All Dorie, all the time my friends.  It's a lesson we all need to learn.

Thanks to Nancy for this great choice! Click here for the recipe, and check out the rest of the TWD non-slackers in the universe! 

Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake

  

Rich. Intense. Indulgent. 

No, I'm not talking about Martin Jerry Bruckheimer. I'm talking about this cake. 

I saw this cake on Doughmesstic and it immediately caught my eye (along with a million other things, but that is for another post).  Bright red strawberries drizzled with a rich dark chocolate atop more and more chocolate. 

Heaven?

Yes, indeed.

This cake may take a bit of time (two days for me, to be exact), but it is well worth the time and effort. Susan, the genius baker/cook/writer, from Doughmesstic adapted the Iconic Junior's Vanilla Cheesecake Recipe and then topped it with a rich chocolate mousse, tossed the whole thing in the freezer, and then frosted it with chocolate ganache.

"How does someone even think of that?" you may ask.

Innovation, I say. And pure brilliance.  I'd like to step into her mind for a few minutes to get some ideas. It would be delicious.

I will warn you, however, not to eat before you eat this cake. For, like, 3 days.  Because it is RICH.  And, of course, I brought this to Easter dinner, where we all stuffed our faces with a delicious shmorgasboard (I just invented my own way of spelling that word and am too lazy to Google it) of lamb, briscuit, rice and peas, macaroni and cheese, various salads, and breads.  And then, of course, I whip out this cake.  After hours and hours of eating.  My stomach was about to implode, so I didn't have any, but everyone else tried the cake and loved it. I mean, LOVED. Excitement filled the air. There were lots of "Mmms" and "Oh WOWs" to be had. This is the cake that dreams are made of, people.  I didn't get a chance to photograph a slice, but let me paint a little picture for you.

Imagine a fluffy cheesecake that looks light as air, flecked with fragrant vanilla beans.  Then, picture a pillowy chocolate mousse resting atop that cheesecake.  Finally, imagine a ribbon of chocolate ganache tugging the outside of that cake, and, if you're lucky, a chocolate covered strawberry adorning the top of that slice. 

Susan,  I heart you. Click here for the recipe.  Then spend some time clicking around the site if you haven't been there already.  You'll be glad you did. 

Bouchon's Almond Cake with Strawberry Compote

 


 I apologize to Nancy of Dog Eat the Crumbs.  I am going to be late wit the Swedish Visiting Cake.  Work has been insanely busy since both the hockey and basketball seasons were coming to an end and I've worked until 10 pm almost every night that I started with only Saturday off. Now, I'm not complaining, because my job is totally awesome and I need to pinch myself because of how awesome my job is, but it gives me absolutely no time to bake, cook, or blog.  Now that the seasons are (very sadly) over, I'll have some time to cook again. And finally get around to commenting on the blogs. I have some favorites out there that I have been severely deprived of reading for the past two weeks! My Google Reader weeps for me. 

That said, I am absolutely making the cake, but it will be posted later in the week. And I hope that it is awesome (which is surely will be), because it may be my first thing I take to work to feed the coworkers and I don't want to let them down. Ha.

 

In the place of the Swedish Visiting Cake, I give you Thomas Keller's Almond Cake from the Bouchon Cookbook.  I cannot express how totally awesome this cake is (this post is just filled with awesomeness, isn't it?).  I mean, this cake is INSANELY good.  As in, Jack and I had two friends over for dinner on Saturday night and we almost polished this whole thing off, it's so good.  The cake has a texture unlike any cake I have ever eaten.  It is light and incredibly moist, but a extremely substantial. It almost has a pound cake like texture, but it's different.  For the first time ever, I am lacking words to describe it.  Almond paste and sugar are put together in a mixing bowl and beaten until the paste is crumbly.  Then, chilled, diced butter is added to the mix and beaten for a good five minutes until the mixture is light and airy.  Finally, honey is added, along with eggs, amaretto, and only 1/3 cup of flour.  

The cake is only supposed to be cooked for about 25 minutes, but I had mine in for 35 minutes (and had to tent it with foil so it didn't brown), because my 8" pans are crap. I bought them before I learned how to cook, and they probably were like, $3 each and said "Buy us, we're crap!". So the center of my cake took some time to cook. 

 

Finally, the recipe calls for the cake to be topped with a Strawberry Rhubarb Compote, but I couldn't find Rhubarb (and, although I know it is delicious, it still scares me because it looks like a vegetable) and creme fraiche, but I ended up making some No-Cook Amaretto Ice cream and a Strawberry Compote.  The additions were heaven.  The sweet strawberry compote just melted atop a creamy, almond liquor flavored ice cream and added the perfect textural and flavor contrast to the dish.  But Jack said that the cake was so good that he was actually mad there was compote and ice cream "ruining the cake". 

He's got a way with words. 

And Thomas Keller has a way with recipes.  This man is a god.

Almond Cake with Strawberry Compote adapted from Bouchon Cookbook

Strawberry Compote

2 pounds strawberries, rinsed and hulled

1 lemon

6 tbsp granulated sugar

Almond Cake

Butter and flour (for the pans)

7 oz. almond paste

1/4 cup granulated sugar

8 tbsp (4 oz.) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and chilled

2 tbsp honey

3 large eggs

2 tbsp amaretto, plus additional for brushing

1/3 cup all purpose flour, sifted

Kosher salt

1/3 to 1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Confectioners' sugar

No-Cook Amaretto Ice Cream

2 cups of half and half

1 can of sweetened condensed milk

1 cup of heavy cream

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 tsp almond extract

3 tbsp Amaretto 

For the compote:  Select about 2 oz of the smallest strawberries and cut lengthwise into quarters.  These will be added raw to the cooked compote; set aside.

Cut the remaining larger berries in halves or quarters so that the pieces are about the same size. (You should have about 2 1/2 cups).  Place them in a medium saucepan.

Use a Microplane or a fine grater to zest the lemon.  Add 1 teaspoon of zest to the pan. Squeeze 1 tbsp of juice from the lemon and add to the pan.  Add the sugar and stir to coat the fruit.

Place the pan over medium-high heat and cook, stirring often to dissolve the sugar.  By the time the sugar has dissolved, the fruit will have released a lot of juice.  Boil for about 2-3 minutes to reduce the liquid somewhat, then reduce the heat and simmer for another 2 minutes, or until the strawberries are soft.  

Remove from heat and stir in the reserved strawberries.  Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate in a covered container until cold. 

For the Cake: Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Butter and flour four 4-by-1 3/4-inch-high miniature springform pans or butter the bottom of an 8-inch round cake pan and butter and flour its sides. Line the bottom of the 8-inch pan, if using, with parchment paper; this isn't necessary with the small pans.

Place the almond paste and sugar in the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in another large bowl if using a handheld mixer. Begin to cream the mixture on low speed to break up the almond paste, then increase the speed for medium about 2 minutes, or until the paste is broken into fine particles.  Add the butter and mix for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the mixture is light in color and airy; stop the machine and scrape down the sides as necessary.  It is important to mix long enough or the cake will have a dense texture. Mix in the honey, then add the eggs one at a time, beating until each one is fully incorporated before adding the next.  Add the amaretto, flour, and a pinch of salt and mix just to combine.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan(s) and smooth the top. Bake the small cakes for about 15 minutes, the large one for about 25 minutes, or until the cake is golden and springs back when pressed. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool.

Unmold the small cakes or invert the large cake onto the rack and remove the parchment paper, and invert the cake again so the top is once again facing upward. Brush the top of the cake(s) with amaretto and sprinkle with the toasted almonds. Dust with confectioners' sugar (the cakes can be stored, well wrapped, at room temperature for up to 2 days).

For the Ice Cream: Mix together the first five ingredients until combined, making sure the condensed milk is well blended with the other liquids. Chill until cold.

Pour mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze accordingly.  Add the amaretto close to the end of churning. 

TWD: Coconut Tea Cake

 

I had this post all ready to go yesterday, but I couldn't post it because I couldn't take a picture of my food. Why, you ask?  Well, the reliable weatherman stated that yesterday would be clear skies. Did we have clear skies? Noooooo.  So I couldn't take a photo before I left for work.

I decided to make this cake this week, as opposed to last week, because I wanted to make it for Easter.

Did I make it for Easter?

Noooooooo.

Does that ever happen to you? You have grandiose dreams of making tons of food and desserts, only to make... nothing?

Well, I did make something. A fantastic cheesecake/chocolate mousse cake concoction that I saw on Doughmesstic. But that was made the day prior. 

Here is how I envisioned it:  

I wake up on a beautiful Easter Sunday morning.  I lace up my sneakers and go running outdoors, savoring the spring smells that waft through the air. I return home and, after a refreshing shower, head to church to give props to Jesus (I'm normally not a church-goer, but with the recent passing of my grandmother, I wanted to attend). After giving due props to Jesus, I go get a haircut and a manicure to beautify myself before my first day of work, return home and quickly bake up this Coconut Tea Cake and make another Samoa Tart (which my father has been begging me for since he ate the last one... by himself).  I arrive to my Aunt's house, three cakes in tow, all before 3 pm.

Here is how it actually happened:

I woke up groggy and disheveled. I eat a leftover hamburger for breakfast. A LEFTOVER HAMBURGER. With cheese. I intend to go running outside, but instead, hit the treadmill because I don't feel like going running outside. I take a quick shower and then play Call of Duty 2 on X-Box and curse how difficult these new-fangled video games are.  "Who can beat these complicated games these days?!" I shout!  "And why do they have to look so real? It's freaking me out." I quickly get ready for church, arrive 5 minutes late and almost cut off the Priest as he is about to make his entrance down the aisle. I grumble about the pain in my knees each time we have to kneel in the pew and wonder how everyone always knows exactly what to say in response to the Priest and make funny faces at the 2-year old girl who keeps staring at me two pews ahead. As church is over, I curse to myself (yes, in my head, in church. I'm so bad). "CRAP! It's already 1:30! I can't make any cakes!"  I rush home, do my hair, and rush out of my parent's house (I went to church with them), forgetting the one actual cake I made, only to realize it when I arrive at my Aunt's house 30 minutes later. Luckily, my brother likes to arrive fashionably late (read: 1 hour late) and was able to bring the cake (although it was a little worse for wear after the transportation). 

So I made the cake last night... at 10 pm. I couldn't do anything pretty to it, like I wanted to. I had visions of candied blood oranges, but the reality was... just a Bundt cake.  But I actually loved this cake. I know many bloggers thought it was quite dry, but mine was incredibly moist and light. I omitted the coconut, as I didn't want that texture in the cake, and added a ton of orange zest, which decorated the cake with beautiful little orange flecks throughout it's light yellow interior and flavored the cake beautifully.  What I loved most, however, was the sugary crust around the cake. All in all, this one was definitely a winner for me. 

I guess it's ok that I forgot to make it for Easter. More for me, right?

Check out Carmen of Carmen Cooks for the recipe!

TWD: Mocha-Walnut Marbled Bundt Cake

  
If I thought yesterday was a short post, today is even shorter. It's been a crazy week - I got a new job (remember I said I was working on a huge project for something I really, really wanted?  Well, it was the job - working in Sports Marketing.) and my grandmother (whom I was very close with) passed away - both on the same day.  Talk about a wave of emotions.

So this morning, I am attending my grandmother's funeral.  

I chose to make this bundt cake instead of the coconut tea cake this week, as I wanted to save the tea cake for Easter. I've never been a bundt cake fan (sorry, Mary of The Food Librarian!), but I loved this bundt cake. Moist, flecked with finely ground walnuts, and flavored with a delicious duo of vanilla and mocha. Check out Erin of When In Doubt... Leave it at 350 (I always do that and think of her blog) for the recipe and click here to see what the rest of TWD baked up.

My grandmother would have loved this bundt cake.  She loved food.  I guess I got it from her.

My pretty little grandma. 

 

Bourbon-Infused Mississippi Mud Cake

  

A while back, I mentioned a friendly cooking competition created by a friend of mine.  Each month, several judges, tasters, and cooks meet at her apartment and compete in a themed cooking competition.  For March, the theme was "Oscar Movies" (the competition took place the night before Oscar Night) and my movie was "The Blind Side".

I was at a loss.  Do I make football food?  Thanksgiving food (thinking back to the Thanksgiving dinner scene in the movie)?  Tacos (the father owned hundreds of Taco Bell stores)?

Then, I thought, what if I make something that represents the town where he came from?  I wasn't sure I was going to go that route, but then I spoke with another good friend of mine (who actually is one of the esteemed judges) and she also suggested doing a regional dish.  I was sold.

So I chose Mississippi Mud Cake, since Michael Oher, the main character, chose to go to college and play for Ole Miss, keeping in his family's tradition.

I know, I should have said spoiler alert. But it's a true story.  That's like saying "(SPOILER ALERT), the Titanic doesn't make it."

Now, I had never tried Mississippi Mud Pie.  All I knew about it was that it was a very popular dessert, believed to be created after World War II made with simple ingredients that could be found at any supermarket. I scoured through tons of recipes before I found the King Arthur Flour recipe.  They rarely falter, so I knew I wanted to base my creation off of their recipe.

I wanted to make some changes.  I wanted to make this a "Rags to Riches" Mississippi Mud Pie, since Michael Oher went from being a foster child, running between homes, to an adopted child of a very wealthy family. So I decided to use Scharffen Berger Chocolate for the ganache and I wanted to freshly melt real marshmallows on top of the fluff. And I wanted to do one more thing. I wanted to add alcohol.

Shocker.

I wasn't sure if standard Mississippi Mud Pies ever included bourbon, so I tweeted my question:

Tradionally, does Mississippi Mud Pie ever include Bourbon?

I received lots of "no"s, "not traditionally"s, and "I've never had it with Bourbon"s.  But then Susan of Doughmesstic wrote to me, "If it doesn't, then you should MAKE it a tradition!"

HOLLA!

I was sold yet again. Bourbon it was.  So I got to work.  I baked my cake, infused it with a Bourbon simple syrup, toasted my pecans, created my chocolate ganache  that I also infused with bourbon that would be drizzled on the cake and packed up my marshamllows and fluff and hit the subway.

The competition at the event was tough. These were some very talented chefs.  The Judges dined on Profiterole "IED"s filled with olive oil ice cream and chocolate sauce representing "The Hurt Locker", an amazing Blueberry Basil sorbet topped with Blue Cheese and served with an apple slaw that maybe sounded a little out there but was one of the best things I have EVER EATEN for Avatar, and Chicken Mole served in wonton cups for UP (because they tried to capture the chicken using chocolate, brilliant idea!) among many others. When it was my turn to plate, I was all arms. Because I brought my creme brulee torch.  As I explained my concept, I went around to each plate, warning the judges to sit back as I torched their marshmallows.

Note to readers:  If you are ever trying to impress judges, bring a torch. Always fun. But only for food.  Not if it is a wood building contest.

Alas, I didn't win, but I did receive an honorable mention as the judges called this cake "Lick the plate good".  But it wasn't the most creative as the dishes I mentioned above were (and they were incredible creative.  All of those ideas were phenomenal), but it doesn't change the fact that this cake is INCREDIBLE. IN. CRE. DI. BLE.  Soft chocolate cake infused with a Bourbon simple syrup, drizzled with rich chocolate ganache, gooey marshmallow fluff, crunchy toasted pecans, and of course, torched marshmallows.

Rags to riches, indeed.

Bourbon Infused Mississippi Mud Cake (adapted from King Arthur Flour)

Cake
1 cup (2 sticks, 8 ounces) butter
1/3 cup (1 ounce) Dutch-process cocoa
1 cup (8 ounces) hot water
2 cups (8 1/2 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
2 cups (14 ounces) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon espresso powder
1/2 cup (4 ounces) sour cream
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

Bourbon Simple Syrup
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp bourbon (I used Jim Beam, keeping it real "down home")

Topping
2 cups (11 ounces) Marshmallow Fluff or marshmallow crème
1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips or finely chopped semisweet or bittersweet chocolate
1/2 cup (4 ounces) heavy cream
1 cup diced, toasted pecans
2 cups marshmallows

Equipment: Creme brulee torch (optional)

Cake: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9" x 13" cake pan, or our 2-quart casserole pan.

Melt the butter, then stir in the cocoa and hot water. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, sugar, soda, salt, and espresso powder. Pour the cocoa mixture over the dry ingredients, stirring to blend; the mixture will be a bit lumpy. Add the sour cream, eggs, and vanilla, beating till nearly smooth; a few small lumps may remain.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake the cake for 30 to 45 minutes (longer for the casserole pan), or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven. Immediately poke holes throughout the cake with a fork and brush the bourbon simple syrup onto the cake.(I actually did not do this next step. When I made the cake, I melted the fluff in the microwave and spooned it onto the cake before serving) Wait 1 minute, then spoon on the marshmallow; wait another 2 minutes, and gently spread the marshmallow over the surface of the cake. Allow it to cool to lukewarm, at least 1 hour.

Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl.  Bring heavy cream to a boil in a saucepan over medium high heat. Immediately pour over chopped chocolate and let sit for 30 seconds.  With a wooden spoon or silicone spatula, stir until the chocolate has just melted and the mixture becomes smooth (do not over mix).  Top with the diced nuts and marshmallows.  If desired, toast marshmallows.  Yield: 1 rich cake, about 3 dozen servings.

Happy Super Bowl Sunday!

 
 Chocolate Guinness Cake with Chocolate Baileys Buttercream Frosting

As January rolls in, we here in America mourn the end of the winter festivities and gay merriment of Hanukkah and/or Christmas, and the New Year, but we always forget about the third winter holiday: Super Bowl Sunday.  

Super Bowl Sunday is where we Americans pay our respects to the young men who put themselves out in the face of danger once a week (and maybe even during two-a-day practices).  They forgo seeing their families, drinking, and participating in other activities that may affect their stamina each Sunday. These young, athletic men have a 100% chance of getting injured during the season (true stat). But they do it for one reason and one reason alone:  make it to The Big Game. And for their multi-million dollar salaries. So I guess that is two reasons. 

 

Twice Dipped Chocolate Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Football Treats 

In America, family and friends gather to celebrate the big day.  Some men have "No Girls Allowed" parties. Grown men. Those type of men are extremely mature. 

But the cooler people do not discriminate based on sex. No! Whether one is in it for the game, the commercials, or the food, you can believe a good time will be had by all. 

I've made the Holy Taco Snack Stadium, but everyone needs a little something sweet as a change from the spicy wings, 5-foot long heros (or hoagies or subs depending on what part of the country you are from, but really, we should all call them heros because the other words just don't make sense. And don't even get me started on Jimmies. Or Pop. Um... hello. Sprinkles and Soda!).  This year, I decided to make a Guinness Football Cake with Bailey's Buttercream frosting, horseshoe and fleur de lis sugar cookies, and, my personal favorite of which I could not stop eating as I was making it making me feel like I won't fit into my jeans soon, twice-dipped chocolate peanut butter rice krispie football treats.

Unfortunately, I do not have time to post the recipes (not that ANYONE would start making these items now... is anyone even on the internet right now? ) so I will post them at a later date where these treats will be completely irrelevant and readers wonder, "Why is she posting about football in March?"

Enjoy your day and GEAUX SAINTS!  

 

 

Sugar cookies decorated with royal icing