“Russian” Spice Cake

As of late, I have had time to catch up on my reading. This means I have been reading all of Nick Hornby's columns for the Believer magazine. His clever columns got me thinking about how the books I am reading, shows and movies I am watching and just everything around me affects my baking.

These past few weeks the Russian spies have been a news topic and I have been wearing my favorite Mireasma perfume, “Russian Spice Cake.” So I thought I should make a Russian Spice Cake. Having no recipe I hit the internet looking for one. I came across a few and they didn't seem to be the best sounding. I took what I liked from a few of them and then created my own version of a Russian Spice Cake.

This is what I used:

6oz Hot water

1 pack of Starbuck's VIA, instant coffee in Italian

½ cup clover honey

¾ cup sugar

1/3 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs

3 cups All Purpose Flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground cloves

½ teaspoon allspice

a good grating of nutmeg

To make:

Heat oven to 325º F

Grease and Flour Bundt Pan.

Prep the instant coffee according to the directions on the box and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, mix honey, sugar, oil and eggs until light and fluffy.

Next add flour, one cup at a time.

Once incorporated add coffee, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cloves, allspice and nutmeg.

Mix well.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 60 minutes. Make sure your tester comes out clean. Let cool in pan for about 15 minutes and then turn onto a wire rack to completely cool.

Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

You will have a spicy cake that is as sexy as Russian Spy Anna Chapman.

Pound Cake (Not GreatGrandma's)

So before I packed up everything to move down south, I made one last treat for everyone in Wisconsin. I made my Great Grandmother's pound cake. The recipe is a guarded secret in our family and it was very hard for me to come by. I had to get my 85 year old Grandmother drunk before I could get her to divulge the family secret. I guess it really wasn't that hard, my Grandmother adores Hot Sex, a chocolate milk flavored liquor. It has to be a very low proof, but the way she was acting, you would have thought it was 110 proof. But once I got Grandma talking I heard much more about all of my family secret’s that I really would have been happy not to know....it explains why she likes Hot Sex. OK, time to get back to baking.
That being said, you all are going to hate me. I will not be sharing my Great Grandmother's recipe with you but, yes but, I will share a modified Chocolate pound cake with you instead.


There are some rules.
Rule #1: Everything needs to be added to the butter 3 tablespoons at a time

Rule #2: You must use the best cocoa and pure vanilla you can afford, you can drink PBRs for a while.

Rule #3: You can NOT open the oven door while your pound cake is baking... It's a big no no. If you are one who is not very patient, my I suggest some spirits or the thought that if you open the oven doors all the spirits of your Grandma's past are going to haunt you.... ick.

Rule #4: This only applies if you or anyone in your family owns a dog. The pound cake smells so good while it cools that it is very hard for dogs to resist. Even the shortest of dogs will find a wayonto the counter to get to it. So protect your pound cakes, bakers, while it is cooling. Since the pound cake takes a while to make, it would be a shame to see it lost in a few seconds. My first pound cake was lost to my Dad's dog Mac. He may look cute but he was the foil of my baking triumph.

Rule #5: Have all of your ingredients measured out before you start baking.

So this is what you are going to. The best part of pound cake it you can get a little workout while you gather the ingredients.
1 pound All-Purpose Flour (for the Chocolate version, use 2 ¼ cups flour and 1 cup unsweetened cocoa)
1 pound Unsalted Butter, at room temp. (Best to have the butter and eggs sitting out an hour before you start baking).
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
9 large eggs, at room temp.
2 cups Sugar, my GG's called for more, but I thought we could be a little more health conscious.

So let’s get started. Get your stand mixer out and preheat your oven to 325°F.

In a large bowl, of any kind, whisk together flour and cocoa.

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter.
Now slowly mix in the flour, 3 tablespoons at a time.
Once the flour is incorporated add in one egg at a time, making sure each egg it completely mixed in before adding the next.

Now carefully add in the sugar 3 tablespoons at a time.

Lastly add in your vanilla. Vanilla bean paste is amazing in here.

If I have forgotten anything just add it in 3 tablespoons at a time, I have been up since 4am and I am drinking a PBR on a relatively empty tummy, bet you can guess where all my money goes... quality cocoa and vanilla beans.
I normally make my pound cakes in bunt molds; I think they are prettier that way. But you can make this pound cake in loaf pans, I know this will make one large bunt cake and maybe it will make two 5 by 9 loafs. (I think that sounds right)

Before you move your batter to pans, you will need to grease and flour them. The best thing to use is a baking spray with flour in it already.
Now it is time to pop the pound cake in the oven for 1 hour and 40/55 minutes for the bunt, and about 65 minutes for the loafs.

At this time you make open your oven to make sure a tester comes out clean.

Let your pound cake cool for a half an hour in the pan and then flip it over onto a wire rack.


Now you have a wonderful pound cake every generation will enjoy! It is Kid friendly... unlike Grandma's stories.

Banana Bread

For some reason I have the nutrition for this Banana Bread. I know when I collected this recipe I was on a major diet so I am sure that it is from some health food magazine. I also think this bread is much better with nuts and I will usually mix in a hand full or two of walnuts.

Nutrition:

Calories 230

Fiber 1.6 g

Sodium 246 mg

Protein 3.7 g

You will need:

2 cups All-Purpose Flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

½ cup butter

¾ cup brown sugar

2 eggs, beaten

2 ½ cups mushed bananas

(I don't know about you but this really doesn't sound all that healthy. I think it worked for me because my boyfriend at the time was eating the loaves before I had a chance.)

So to make it you start by preheating your oven to 350°F and lightly greasing your pan or pans

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt.

In a separate bowl, cream together mashed bananas, butter, brown sugar and eggs. Stir in flour mixture to banana mixture. Pour into prepared pans.

Allow to bake for 60-65 minuets or until tester comes out clean.

Black-eyed Susan Macaron

This May, the 135th running of the Preakness Stakes was ran and won by Lookin at Lucky.

While watching the Preakness it is hard to miss the beautiful black-eyed Susan's gracing Pimlico. If you were at Pimlico you would be downing Black-eyed Susan's. I wish I was there.
The Black-eyed Susan is made very simply, combine:
¾ oz. Vodka
1 ¼ oz. Kentucky Whiskey
3 oz. Sweet Sour mix
2 oz. Orange juice

Garnish with: orange slice, cherry and stirrer

So lets turn it into a macaron.


Flavor your shell with sweet sour and vodka.

Make a whiskey butter cream to go between the shells along with some chopped cherry and orange marmalade.

La Vie en Rose Macarons

I am in a world apart, where the vita is dolce and breakfast is at Tiffany's. The sun is shining and roses are blooming. Yes this is the land seen though rose colored glasses and those glasses where filled with citrus vodka, lemonade and rose water over ice. Life is better in the pink... oh I wish I had some pink lemonade now... what makes it pink.

Maybe I am a romantic but these macarons are the best I have ever made. The moment you bring them to your mouth your lips are kissed with the fragrance of lemon and rose. When you finally finish the macaron you sigh with want for more. Yes, I am talking about a cookie and the drink too.

These macaron's have an Absolut Citron and lemon zest shell with lemon curd and rose water Swiss meringue butter cream.

Guinness Brownies

My Goodness
My Guinness Brownies

Every girl ought to have a tall, dark, and handsome Guinness. If she is lucky she will be able to cook with it to catch herself a tall, dark, and handsome man. My Guinness Brownies are my first signature dessert. When I was started out making them all I was doing was substituting flat room temperature Guinness for all liquids in box brownie mixes. They were good but not great.
Then I figured out how to make them from scratch. They are amazing. You can top them with caramel or an infused chocolate ganache.


You will need:
1 cup All-purpose flour
¾ cup Dutch processed unsweetened Cocoa powder
¼ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature and cut into cubes
8 ounces dark bitter sweet chocolate, 56% for sweet brownies – 100% for chocolate lovers to enjoy with coffee, chopped
4 large eggs at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 ¼ cup flat room temperature Guinness

To Make:
Preheat oven to 375ºF.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder and salt.

In a double boiler, melt butter and bitter sweet chocolate over a very low heat. Once melted remove from heat.

In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy. It should take you about 3 minuets. Add in the melted chocolate mixture and continue to beat until combined. Then beat in the flour mixture and once that is combined add in the Guinness. The batter will become thin after the Guinness is added.
Pour batter into a greased baking pan. I use one of those “as seen on TV” brownie pans, it works out perfectly for me.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes on center rack.
Topper

The Irish Car Bomb Brownie : Cover the Guinness Brownies with an infused ganache
4 ounces semi-sweet or bitter sweet chocolate
⅓ cup heavy whipping cream
1 table spoon butter
1 teaspoon (or a ½ shot if you are a lush) of each Irish whiskey and Irish cream

In a medium heat proof bowl, place chopped chocolate and set aside.

In a saucepan, over medium heat, bring cream and butter just to a boil.

Immediately pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let stand for about 5 minutes.

Stir with a whisk until smooth and add your liqueur.


Enjoy and good luck.

Mint Julep Macaron

The Kentucky Derby is fast approaching. Before you pick out your fabulous hat and brush up on the words to "My Old Kentucky Home," you may want to consider making Mint Julep Macarons. They are sure to become a new Derby tradition and they are the first jewel in my Triple Crown Macarons. Yes there are more to come!

So let’s start our run for the roses by reviewing the recipe for a traditional Mint Julep.

To make one you will need:

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon water

8 fresh mint leaves and sprigs for garnish

1 cup crushed ice

2 ⅔ ounces bourbon

In a mint julep cup stir together sugar and water until the sugar dissolves. Add mint and gently muddle. Fill cup with ice and top with bourbon. Stir until outside of the cup is frosty. Add in mint sprigs as garnish.

Sounds good? It makes an even better macaron.

I make all of my macarons following Hisako Ogita’s book “I ♥ Macarons.” For the filling I do use a Swiss Meringue Buttercream… I don’t know where it came from but it is so amazing. The variations for the flavors are very simple and easy to incorporate.

To make the macaron batter follow Ogita’s book and incorporate 1 tablespoon dried mint leaves into the dry ingredients. I split my batter into two. I did this so I could leave one half bare and make one half colored.

For the Bourbon infused Swiss Buttercream Meringue you will need:

3 large egg whites

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

2 sticks of butter, softened

1 tablespoon Bourbon

Now let’s make it:

Combine egg white and sugar in a heatproof mixer bowl and set over a simmering saucepan. Whisk until the sugar is dissolves. The mixture will be about 160°F. Remove from heat and with an electric mixer beat for 5-7 minuets until stiff peaks form. Slowly add in softened butter, about a tablespoon at a time. When the Buttercream becomes smooth add in the vanilla and bourbon.

When putting your macarons together place a fresh leaf of mint in the Buttercream for the finishing touch.

Helpful Links:

http://www.kentuckyderby.com/
http://www.chroniclebooks.com/index/main,book-info/store,books/products_id,8167/title,I-Love-Macarons/