Orange Blossom Polenta Cake

cake is cake is cake?  i guess. i mean CAKE to me is a sheet of lusciously fluffy goodness topped with a spread of sweet and mouth coating icing then another pile of this concoction is laid on top. repeat and repeat and repeat if you so desire. yum! there is nothing like making the first cut into a stacked, iced cake. its a present. you open it up and there inside is a little wonderland of taste and texture, endless possibilities - well if its done correctly. 

just a slice of cake on a plate. what could be more satisfyingly simple than that? forget the ice cream, that's a joke. it just melts and makes a mess and its distracting and just what the heck are you thinking?! do you really need ice cream too? and because you can not eat ice cream with a fork you use a spoon now? - ugh you should never eat cake with a spoon. never. spoons eliminate one of the best and final parts of eating cake which is smashing the crumbs and left over icing up against the spine of your FORK and sliding it off with the strength of your greedy lips. just feel that melt in your mouth. don't eat ice cream with cake people, control yourself.

with all that said (sorry); now there are also what i call "grown up cakes" or fancy pants cakes really. lets see there's cheesecake (i know i stand alone here - but just gross),  pound cake, spice cake, sponge cake, fruitcake (we all know the consensus), coffee cake, rum raisin cake... its endless. i don't make these much because to me they just aren't as fun and playful as say, a cupcake. whatever. i got over that and found this recipe for an orange polenta cake in gourmet magazine while sitting on a leopard print stool-like thing nervously waiting for josh in the dentist office (another story all together). 

what attracted me was the minimal amount of flour and the loads of almond flour. almonds and oranges; you just can't go wrong with that combo. so try it out and don't try to substitute the orange blossom water- do what you can to find it. i must note that this cake was made in memory of wayne and his lady.wayne i want that sweet potato cookie recipe. pronto. 

ORANGE BLOSSOM POLENTA CAKE 

1/2c superfine granulate sugar

2 tbs water

2 tbs unsalted butter, cubed

2 navel oranges

7oz unsalted butter, softened

1c superfine granulated sugar

3 eggs

2 tsp orange blossom water

1/2c all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2c ground almonds

2/3c quick-cooking polenta

1/4c orange marmalade

1 tbs water

*preheat oven to 350F, line 9" cake pan with parchment, side and bottom

*make the carmel orange layer: 

* zest the two navel oranges, set aside.

* cut away the remaining pith and slice crosswise into 1/4" rounds. 

* bring 1/2c sugar and 2 tbs water to boil, swirl - do not stir - the boiling mix occasionally to get an evenly browned color. do not burn - yick

* remove from heat, drop in cubed butter, swirl to combine. 

* carefully and quickly pour carmel into the lined cake pan

* place the orange rounds in a single layer in the caramel

* make cake:

* beat 7oz butter and 1c sugar to just combined

* add eggs one at a time, beat well each time

* stir in blossom water and reserved zest

* in separate bowl combine the remaining dry ingredients

* slowly  beat in the flour mix to the butter mixture

* spread the batter over the prepared cake pan with the oranges and caramel. will be thick so even it out with your spoon   or spatula.

* cook for 50 min to 1 hour. check with a toothpick to make sure its done. 

* let cool for 5 minutes in the pan then invert onto your cake plate and discard the parchment.

* make the glaze: 

* heat marmalade and water in a sauce pan to melted. 

* take off heat and brush on the top of the cake with  a pastry brush 

Oatmeal Crème Pies

oatmeal creme pies, i found out thru an impromptu pole at work (don't worry it was first thing in the morning and then we all diligently got back to our work and didn't speak recreationally for the remainder of the day) that these little guys seem to be a "southern thang". can this be true? then what about moon pies? sno balls? fudge rounds? oh my! i mean what would childhood be without reaching your little hand down into that flimsy, disproportionately rectangular box and pulling out a cellophane wrapped "pie cookies"? people really!

ok enough. so being the ridiculous person that i am i set out a while back to make homemade crème pies, mostly because i just can not bare to buy snacks in a box - i won't name any names here, but we all know. and honestly, as a woman who's father is diabetic i think it is considered a sin. so i pretend that by making them at home i can somehow make them "healthier". right. so i put an accent mark on the E and suddenly its also french and fancy.

OATMEAL CRÈME PIES

1c unsalted butter, softened

3/4c packed brown sugar

1/2c sugar

1 tbs molasses

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs

1 1/2c all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1/8 tsp cinnamon

1 1/2c quick cooking oats

1 recipe crème filling (see below)

* preheat oven to 350 F and line cookie sheet with parchment paper

* cream together the butter and sugars until the mixture is light and fluffy

* beat in molasses, vanilla and eggs

* in a separate bowl sift together the flour, salt, baking soda and cinnamon

* add the flour mixture to the butter mixture beat just to combine

* fold in the oats

* drop the batter by heaping tablespoonfuls on the prepared cookie sheet

* cook for 12 minutes to golden

CRÈME FILLING

2 tsp hot water

1/4 tsp salt

7 oz marshmallow fluff

1/2c shortening, softened

1/3c powdered sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

* dissolve the salt in the hot water, set aside to cool

* cream together the fluff, shortening, powdered sugar and vanilla -- it will seem unmanageable at first, just hang in there it will come together

* add the cooled sated water and beat to combine

* spread the filling on one side of a cookie and mash another one on top.

Carob Chip and Walnut Oatmeal Cookies

according to josh, and every other man i've ever met: under no circumstances should raisins be included in any desert of any kind. ok

since my wonderfully pregnant neighbor moved out a few months ago josh is my main consumer. so here we are with oatmeal cookies that plea for a nice plump dark fruity dose of raisins - what do i do? i pulled out my ridiculous list of specialty health food items and the perfect answer was carob chips. they are perfect! if you aren't familiar with carob:

the carob tree sits within the legume family and creates pods that hold about 5 little beans. Those beans are what we nosh on (after some processing of-course) and they taste oddly like chocolate, but with a fruity undertone - like the offspring of chocolate and raisin. so people who are allergic to chocolate or vegan or attracted to novelty food items like me dig on this tasty little bean. evidently ancient egyptians loved it too.

add in a healthy dose of walnuts and you can tell yourself these are "a health indulgence" and eat them for breakfast.

CAROB CHIP & WALNUT OATMEAL COOKIES

3/4c + 2 tbs all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg (it has to be fresh - has. to. be.)

4 oz unsalted butter, softened

2 tbs sugar (optional)

3/4c packed brown sugar

1 large egg

1 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1/2c carob chips

1 3/4c rolled oats (old fashioned)

1/2 c chopped walnuts

*preheat oven to 350 F

*shift together all the dry ingredients, then whisk to combine

*in a separate bowl cream the butter to a light color

*add sugar(s) and cream to light and fluffy

*beat in egg then vanilla

*gradually add in the flour mixture

*fold in the carob chips, walnuts and oats - make sure all is well combined, but do not over work the dough

* taking a heaping tablespoon full, roll into a ball and place on prepared cookie sheet

* lightly smash down the balls to about 1/2" thick

*bake 12-14 minutes to lightly browned

Marshmallows

every-time i admit that i make my own marshmallows i get the same perplexed response. i'm not sure if its confusion about how i go upon do this or why i spend my time making something so cheap and readily available. but really if you every have a homemade marshmallow you will know why i do what i do - they are so good.

i had decided one day that i was determined to make a "healthy" version of rice krispy treats to mail to josh (when he was in vegas) and so i decided i just couldn't bear to buy one of those strange bags of what seemed to be a vacuum packed pillow. are these bags vacuum packed or is it just me?

so i knew i was going to have to make marshmallows. and heres what i ended up with. i am listing just the basic recipe for these little guys but the new favorite treat around my apt. is to cut them into little pieces and cover in dark chocolate. the become seriously addictive.

MARSHMALLOWS

3 pks unflavored gelatin

1c ice cold water

1 1/2c sugar

1c light corn syrup

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4c powdered sugar

1/4c cornstarch

*combine the powdered sugar and cornstarch in a bowl

*lightly grease a 9 x 13 x 2 pan and "flour" with half of the powdered sugar mixture

*place gelatin in a bowl with 1/2c of the water, mix to combine

*in a small saucepan combine 1/2c water, sugar, corn syrup and the salt. stir to combine

*cover and cook the sugar mixture on medium high heat for 3-4 minutes

*uncover and raise to high heat. insert your candy thermometer and boil the mixture to exactly 240 F

* remove from heat immediately and pour into the same bowl that has the waiting gelatin mixture

* beat with a handheld mixer on high speed for 12-15 minutes until it becomes stiff (and well looks like marshmallow fluff)

*about one minute before you are done whipping add in the vanilla and beat for the remaining time

*pour the fluff into the prepared pan and dust the top with the remaining powdered sugar mixture

*let rest for at least 4 hours

*turn out onto to a sheet of wax paper and cut with a pizza cutter

*dust the cut pieces with any remaining / access powdered sugar and cornstarch mixture

*at this point i like to mix dutch cocoa powder and powdered sugar together to dust all over these

***as you can see in the picture i love to coat these in dark chocolate. Just freeze the cut pieces before you dip them and make sure the dipping chocolate is not molten hot - marshmallows do melt ****

My Daily Bread

when i was living in Baton Rouge there really was only about two crazy hippie health food stores. one was small, expensive and trendy. the other was weird, dark and old - i loved it. it was called "our daily bread". it was a metal shed with no windows and an amateur mural of bread and vegetables painted on the front. located on the side of a 5 laned busy street across from the "ghetto mall" and adjacent to an oversized mega store shopping center of sorts that was simply name "FLEA MARKET". it was not a flea market.

anyways i loved Our Daily Bread i would go there mostly as an excuse to get away from the studio and be around people who were more strange and secluded than my fellow architecture mates. so i would go rummage through all the dusty bags of seaweed and yogurt starter kits and generally just relax.

So this, in a way, is my ode to those odd moments of relaxation. i eat a nutbutter and jelly sandwich everyday - yes every single day - and well that means i need a lot of bread. this is just that bread. i make a loaf every weekend and well, its relaxing all the same.

josh claims its the best for grilled cheese because of the slight sweetness.

MY DAILY BREAD

2 tsp active dry yeast

2 c warm (110 - 115 F) water

2 oz unsalted butter, softened

2 tbs cain syrup / molasses

1/4c + 1 tbs honey

1 tsp salt

3c whole wheat flour

2c all purpose flour

* activate yeast in 1c of the warm water.

* whisk together the butter, honey and cain syrup. mix until its a smooth, consistent consistency.

* combine the flours and salt in a separate bowl

* add activate yeast and remaining 1c of water to the butter mixture. stir to combine

* gradually add in the flours, one cup at a time stirring well between each addition

* when you can't reasonably add any more flour turn out onto a lightly floured counter. knead to a smooth elastic consistency -- DO NOT OVER KNEAD!

* grease a large bowl and place the dough inside, spray the expose face of the dough with a bit of "pam" / butter. place a towel over the top of the bowl and set in a warm place to rise.

* let rise to double in size - about 1 hour

* punch dough down and place in a grease loaf pan

* cover with the same towel and again let rise to the desired fluffy height -- about 45 mins to 1 hour

* preheat oven to 375 F and cook the loaf for about 40 mins to get a dark golden crust

*remove from oven and let cool completely before slicing. I like to wrap in a towel and let the loaf sit out for about 4-5 hours before slicing it up.

Real Glazed Doughnuts

yes i made doughnuts - yeast doughnuts which to me are real deal saturday morning doughnuts not those funny cake doughnuts covered in powdered sugar that your mom bought by the tub when you were little. remember when the cloud of sugary powder would tickle your throat right when you had a mouthful of that fatty sugar paste like substance the cake had begun to melt into? was that fun or what?

with that said if you know me - you know these are not for me. they're a valentine's present for josh, he loves doughnuts and my voice reached a range close to breaking glass when he stops at dunkin donuts. so i gave him a break and made him these delicious little rings (and holes). i have to say, they were good and i don't know if i believe him or not but i'll quote josh saying "they taste like a hybrid between krispy kreme and dunkin". yeah so that's a very flattering compliment - i'll take what i can.

DOUGHNUTS

1/2c warm water (110 - 115 F)

2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast

1/2c all-purpose flour

*dissolve yeast in warm water, activate so it is foamy

*whisk in flour to smooth

* cover with plastic wrap, let stand at room temp for 30 minutes or until bubbly

1/3c sugar

1/3c butter, softened

2 eggs (medium sized)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp salt

1 3/4c all-purpose flour

*whisk in all ingredients except the flour

* add in flour gradually mixing well until dough comes together and away from sides of bowl

* cover and let rise to double for 1 1/2 to 2 hours

* punch down and take dough out of bowl and form into a ball

* wrap with plastic then place in a plastic bag

* chill in frig overnight (or at least 3 hours)

*take out of frig and roll out to 3/8" thick (i split the dough in two for easier handling)

*use a 3 1/2" and 1" buscuit cutters to cut out the shapes

* set rounds on floured wax paper and let rise uncover for 1 hour to get them big and puffy

* heat 3" of oil (canola) in a heavy bottom pan to 375 F

* drop a few rounds in at a time, fry one side for about 1 minute to golden, turn over with a chopstick and repeat

* remove from heat and place on paper towel lined plate

* let cool and glaze as you please

*** save the 1" cut out to make the wonderful doughnut hole - yum!***

*** Jelly filled: roll out dough to 1/8" thick, cut 3 1/2" round, place heaping tsp of jelly in middle and press another 3 1/2" round on top - seal with a beaten yolk wash****

SIMPLE GLAZE

1c powdered sugar

2 tbs water (more if needed)

1/4 tsp vanilla

*combine all ingredients to consistency you want

* brush on doughnuts with pastry brush or dip them in "face" down

Caramel cupcakes w/ Brown Butter Icing

these clouds of goodness came about by way of another recipe.

i stopped by grand central market last sunday evening on my way home from a visit to a new acquaintance / friend Jill Krementz's studio and home - she's amazing check her out if you have time.

with no real reason to be at the market i decided to picked up some (more) dutch cocoa and almond extract from Penzy's. they gave me what appears to be a monthly "penzy's recipes" magazine. Alaska and mardi gras were the highlight this issue (i am aware that makes no sense) and there was a recipe for a caramel apple cake that honestly looked like a bit of a monster - but that was the incitement. so i vowed to try it this weekend. when i finally got down to it i came to a realization: i would never eat that cake and like i said; it was a monster. so i snooped around and mixed up and tweaked with a few recipes. and ofcourse sprinkled on some gold dust to make them even more luscious. who wouldn't?

this is what i came up with, everyone seems to love them, including me.

CARAMEL CUPCAKES

5 tbs unsalted butter

1/2c packed brown sugar

1/4 tsp salt

2 1/2 tbs caramel syrup*

1 egg at room temp.

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1c flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2c buttermilk (skim milk w/ 2tbs buttermilk powder)

* cream butter

* add sugar and salt, cream to light and fluffy

* slowly pour caramel syrup in to mix, beat to mixed

* increase speed of mixer add egg and vanilla, beat to mixed

* sift all dry ingredient together

* on low speed add 1/3 of dry mix to creamed butter beat to combine then add 1/2 of buttermilk

* repeat until end on dry, use fold mixture with a spatula to make sure everything is completely mixed in

* spoon into lined muffin pan

* cook for 15-20 minutes (test with toothpick at 15 minutes)

CARAMEL SYRUP

1c sugar

1/4c water

1/2c water (reserved)

*combine sugar and 1/4c water in pot

* boil on high heat until it begins to turn a dark amber

* immediately pour in 1/2c reserved water (do so slowly - it will "react")

* whisk hot mixture over medium heat to consistent and starts to thicken

* take off heat and let cool before use

BROWN BUTTER ICING

3oz unsalted butter

8oz powdered sugar

3 tbs milk or water

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 tbs caramel syrup (or as needed)

*melt butter over medium heat, cook until brown

* strain through fine mesh and set aside to cool

*once cooled add powdered sugar a bit at a time until mixture is crumbly and can't hold together

* add a bit of water/milk and caramel syrup beat together then add more sugar

* repeat until consistency you like and sugar is all gone

** can add a bit of salt if you wish - i did not**

Red Velvet Cupcakes w/ Fluff Icing

i made these in an attempt to find a way to have my velvet with out the cream cheese icing that i loathe (sorry rest of the world) - yes its true i hate cream cheese icing.

and just to be fancy i just had to sprinkle on some silver dust. I thought they were perfect and the icing was light enough you just wanted to keep eating and eating and eat more for breakfast!

just a note: the buttermilk i use is actually skim milk (or water) mixed with powdered buttermilk. believe it or not its not easy for me to find real buttermilk in NYC so my awesome mother in louisiana mails me the powder. and really - who do you know that keeps buttermilk stocked in their frig? get a mom like mine and you'll have it covered. thanks mom - as always you rock.

RED VELVET CUPCAKES

1c + 2 1/2 tbs cake flour

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/8 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp cocoa powder

3 oz. unsalted butter

1/2c + 2 tbs sugar

2 eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 c buttermilk

1 tbs red food dye -- or whatever you feel is enough

*preheat oven to 350 F, line muffin pan

* Sift together the dry ingredients (flour, bk. powder, soda, salt & cocoa)

* in seperate bowl cream the butter to light color

* add sugar to creamed butter, beat until light and fluffy

* beat in eggs, one at a time

* beat in vanilla

* add 1/3 of the dry mix, beat to combine then add in 1/2 of buttermilk

* repeat dry then wet until all is mixed in (ending on dry). do not over beat - just get it all mixed together

*spoon into lined muffin pan (i use an icecream scooper so they are all even)

* cook at 350 F for 15-20, check with a toothpick

FLUFFY ICING

1 1/2c sugar

3 egg whites (i use powdered w/ water)

1/3c cold water

1 tbs light corn syrup

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

1 tsp vanilla extract

*combine all but vanilla in a double boiler

*set over boiling water, beat with electric mixer constantly at medium-high speed until mixture stands in stiff peaks (about 7 minutes)

* remove from heat and beat in vanilla

* use once cooled (can continue to beat if you feel you need to)

YUM YUM YUM -- yes i am from the south!

Im new here

Honestly im starting this blog because i have so many pictures of cupcakes its eating up my computer space. that and i can't seem to keep track of random recipes i accumulate over the weekend. that's right i'm a weekend cook. work as an architect during the week, pass my time as a baker on the weekends.

and as you can tell im not very good at proper english; i just don't have the patience. but i have a feeling i may be the only viewer to this site anyways, so hopefully my crude skills won't offend too many.