Little Apricot Cakes

These were delish and from this month's Bon Appetit magazine.  The name does not lie, these suckers are tiny.  But, they are great after a large meal when you want something small.  I did not have the raw sugar in my house, so I went without, they were still fine.  I accidentally overbaked mine slightly, but if you put something dry in plastic bags, it kind of comes back.  Conversely, if you want to keep something crisp, tins are the way to go.  This recipe was part of a a whole picnic set up.  Seriously, when was the last time you had a picnic?  That's what I thought.

Little Apicot Cakes

1 cup flour
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/4t salt
6T butter at room temperature
1/3 c sugar
1 tsp lemon zest
1 t vanilla extract
1/3 c whole milk
2 apricots cut into wedges
2 T raw sugar

Preheat oven to 350.
Line Muffen tins with paper liners, or coat with spray.  Follow your heart.
Combine dry ingredients in a bowl.
In a mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about two minutes.  Add egg lemon zest and vanilla and beat until combined.
With mixer on low, add dry ingredients in 3 additions with milk for two additions.  Begin and end with dry ingredients.  Divide batter amoung 12 baking cups, they will be 1/3 full. Don't panic, they are supposed to look like that, smooth tops.  Top with apricots and raw sugar. 

Bake until goldena nd atester comes out clean, about 20-25 minutes.  Cool in pan for five and then flip out until cool completely. 

Zuccini Cake

I got this one off of David Lebovitz's site, living the sweet life in Paris.  To be honest, David is kind of a hero of mine.  He escaped Connecticut and is now living in the City of Light giving culinary tours and writing cook books.  I like to think of him as a role model.  Especially the whole escaping from Connecticut part.  everyone who tried this cake LOVED it.  And it was actually pretty.  Normally when I use bundt cake pans I have sticking issues, but not this time.  Use a light colored (aka cheap) olive oil to avoid bitterness.  I placed the cake on a wore rack on top of a cookie sheet to glaze.  My mother scraped all of the glaze off of the cookie sheet and piled it on her slices.  NOT dignified, but delicious.

For the cake:

• 1 cup (135g) almonds, pecans, or walnuts, toasted (I cheated and just used Bob's almond meal.) 
• 2 cups (280g) flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon dried ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 3/4 (350g) cups sugar
• 1 cup (250ml) extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups (300g) finely grated zucchini

For the lemon glaze:
1/4 cup (60ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/3 cup (65g) granulated sugar
1 cup (140g) powdered (confectioner’s) sugar
1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Grease a 10 cup (2.5l) bundt or tube cake pan* with non-stick spray or butter, dust with flour, then tap out any excess.
2. Pulse the nuts in a food processor until finely chopped.
3. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Set aside.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs, 1 3/4 cup (350g) sugar, and olive oil for 3 minutes on medium speed, until light and fluffy. Stop and scrape down the sides of the mixer, then add the vanilla.
5. Mix in the dry ingredients, scraping down the sides of the mixer bowl to make sure everything is mixed in well, then beat on medium speed for 30 seconds.
6. Stir in the chopped nuts and zucchini.
7. Scrape the batter into the prepared cake pan, smooth the top, then bake the cake for 45 to 50 minutes, until the toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the cake has begun to pull away from the sides of the pan.
8. During the last few minutes of the cake baking, make the glaze by whisking together the lemon juice, 1/3 cup (65g) granulated sugar, and powdered sugar.
9. Let the cake cool for 10 minutes, then carefully invert it onto a cooling rack. Brush the glaze over the cake with a pastry brush and let the cake cool completely.
Storage: The cake can be wrapped (or put under a cake dome) and will keep for a few days. You can freeze the unglazed cake. However to apply the glaze, you’ll need to defrost the cake then warm it so the glaze will adhere properly.

Milk Chocolate Brownies

Over the weekend I was in a unique position.... I could freely bake whatever I wanted.  The house was freezing and I had to use the oven.  Most of the time I am baking for some one or something, or a request.  This weekend I got to bake the sweet taste of freedom.  So, I made something I would like, milk chocolate brownies.  I am the only person over the age of ten who prefers milk chocolate to dark, so dammit people, I was going to make something sweet for me.  This one comes out of the Tate Bakery cookbook (filed under rich white people under the Cornelius headings.). They came out fantastic, chewy and chocolatey.  They got even better the next day.  It was pure selfish baking joy.

Milk Chocolate Brownies

8T butter
9oz milk chocolate, chopped
1/2 c sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 t vanilla extract
3/4c flour
1T natural cocoa powder
Pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease a 9" square pan (I used an 8, and it was fine.)

Kathleen King of Tates does the next part in a sauce pan, but really, people, a microwave is easier.  I nuked the butter until it was melted, the add the chocolate and let it sit for a few to melt.  I had to put mine in for 10 seconds to get all of the chocolate melted, but way easier than a double boiler.  Then let the mixture cool slightly.

Add the sugar, eggs and vanilla to the chocolate and mix well.  Add the flour, cocoa and salt, and stir again.  Spread this into the pan.

Bake for about 20 minutes, a toothpick will come out with moist crumbs.  Cool on a wire rack.

Brown Butter Pistachio Financiers

I have not posted a baking post recently, for some odd reason nothing has been turning out.  I made bead that would not bake, it was in the oven for an hour and a half and it was still raw.  I Mae lime quotes from my mom, and they were not right either.  They were supposed to be in tart pans, which I did not have.  I figured out the area of the tart pans and then put the recipe in a corresponding rectangular pan.  Did NOT work.  Oy.  So, I needed to make something simple to redeem myself.  I found this recipe in Food and Wine, created by Top Chef winner Kristen Kish.  Finally something came out.  LALALA!  This makes 36 financiers, I got 18...... Not sure why.  I made these with pistachio meal, but I think they would also work with almond flour.  Probably, like, a half cup to two thirds.  Listen to your heart on the measurement.....

7 oz butter
1 c flour
3/4 c light brown sugar
4 large egg whites
3 T sugar
1/4 t almond extract
1 c toasted Unsalted pistachios, ground
1/2 c cake flour
Pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 400

Pam 36 mini muffin cups.

Place the seven ounces of butter in a sauce pan and cook over medium heat.  Shake the the pan periodically until the solids at the bottom turn brown.

Place in bowl and let cool.

Add brown sugar, white sugar, egg whites and almond extract to the cooled butter.  Wisk together.  Fold in the dry ingredients and mix until combined.  Spoon into muffin cups and bake for 15 minutes.  They should rise, but be soft in the center.  Take them out and flip onto a wire rack.  Then my mother will show up and eat them.

orange item of the week

This week's orange item is a headband I got when I went to Hair at the Mill.  I showed my mom this picture and she assures me my nose is NOT this big.  If it is, lie to me.  So Stanley felt the need to step in and model this week.  As you can see he is on top of a lovely Big Buddha handbag next to a pile of magazines he knocked off of the coffee table.  He looks way better in my headband than me.  And models better.  Perfection like his can be intimidating.

Face Mask Monday

Every Monday I do a face mask.  I like to think it makes me look younger.  In reality it makes me have a calm moment every week.  This one is the Bliss Spa's Rubberizing Mask.  It comes with a powder that you mix yourself.  After my skin feels refreshed, renewed and happy.  Here I am with bea.  She too has decided that every Monday she will be masking it.  LOVE her so much!

Orange item of the week

This orange item is kinda cool.  It is an orange skull bracelet.  Also....Bea has one, clearly this makes it cooler.