{Bake!} Strawberry Chantilly Cake with {Mod Bak} Yellow Cake Layers

June 20, 2012 at 8:00 am (Bake!, Cake, Dessert, Family, Modern Baker Challenge, Nick Malgieri, The Modern Baker)
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It’s Strawberry Week here at Of Cabbages & King Cakes. Six days of posts featuring this delicious fruit in all of its height-of-the-season goodness. Monday began with an amazing Strawberry Shortcake, followed on Tuesday by a not-so-amazing French Strawberry Cake (hey, they can’t all be winners).

After my French Strawberry Cake disaster, I was ready to make a tried and true strawberry cake. Mom and Dad were coming, and it was Mom’s birthday, so I decided to revisit the Strawberry Chantilly Cake recipe from Nick Malgieri’s Bake! that we made last year for Easter and my friend Kayte’s birthday.

Since we recently started the Cakes section of the Modern Baker Challenge, I decided to use the Yellow Cake Layers from The Modern Baker for this recipe.

I began by creaming butter, sugar, and vanilla in the electric mixer until the mixture was light and fluffy.

I added the eggs one at a time and mixed well after each addition. Next I mixed in half the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, and salt), then the buttermilk, and finally the rest of the flour mixture. I beat the batter for 3 minutes to lighten it.

I divided the batter between two 9-inch cake pans and smoothed the top.

I baked the cake layers in a 350°F oven for about 30 minutes, until they were golden and baked through. I let the cakes cool completely before assembling the Chantilly cake.

As noted in my original strawberry Chantilly cake post, the recipe is really more a set of assembly instructions than a recipe. I began by putting one of the cake layers right side up on a cake cardboard. I tucked pieces of waxed paper under the edges of the cake to keep the cardboard clean. I spread a layer of freshly whipped cream on the top of the cake, followed by sliced strawberries.

I topped this — carefully — with another layer of whipped cream.

I turned the second cake layer upside down and put it on top of the first layer.

I spread whipped cream on the top and sides of the cake, then smoothed it with an offset spatula.

I learned from making this cake before that it tastes better the next day, so at this point, I wrapped the cake in plastic wrap and refrigerated it overnight. The next day, I finished the cake with sliced strawberries.

We celebrated Mom’s birthday with this cake for dessert after dinner. It was better than I remembered, and everyone had seconds.

This is a great way to use fresh, height-of-the-season strawberries. In fact, I may just have to make this cake again before the good berries are gone for the year.

In addition to the Strawberry Shortcake and French Strawberry Cake linked above, the following recipes will be featured in the next few days:

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Perfect Pound Cake {ModBak}

June 4, 2012 at 7:32 am (Bake!, Cake, Modern Baker Challenge, Nick Malgieri, The Modern Baker)
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The first entry in the Cakes section of The Modern Baker is a recipe that Nick Malgieri got from his aunt. Even though I don’t bake the recipes in each section strictly in order, I do at least like to start at the beginning. And this time, that was easy to do, as I love pound cake.

I have made two of Nick’s other pound cake recipes — New Orleans Praline Pound Cake (pralines being another love of mine) and Vanilla Bean Pound Cake. Both of these recipe were from Nick’s more recent book, Bake!, and both were easy and delicious. This recipe was a bit more complicated, but promised to be worth the effort.

What makes this batter more work to make is the mixing method. First, egg yolks are whisked by hand, then sugar is whisked in slowly, followed by vanilla and lemon extracts.

This mixture is then beat with a stand mixer until it is light and well-aerated.

While the egg yolk mixture was whipping away, I mixed the dry ingredients — cake flour and baking powder. Or I would have, if there had been any cake flour in the cupboard. But there wasn’t. So I made my own.

If, like me, you ever find yourself lacking cake flour for a recipe, don’t despair. And don’t run out to the store. It’s easy to make a perfectly acceptable substitute for cake flour using all-purpose flour and cornstarch. For every cup of flour in the recipe, measure 2 tablespoons of cornstarch into a 1-cup measure. Fill the rest of the way with AP flour. That’s it. Just use it in place of 1 cup cake flour, and you’re all set.

Now, where were we? Oh, yes. We just finished beating the egg yolk mixture. I scraped the mixture into a large bowl, then, without washing the mixing bowl, beat the butter for a minute to lighten it. Then I added the flour mixture to the butter and beat until it made a smooth paste.

I scraped the butter-flour mixture over the egg yolk mixture and stirred it all together with a rubber spatula.

Then, I had to wash the mixing bowl in hot, soapy water, as the next step was whipping egg whites, which wouldn’t work unless the mixing bowl was perfectly clean.

I beat the egg whites to a firm peak.

Now. to the tell the truth, I don’t really understand the whole whipped egg whites thing in this recipe. After carefully beating the whites to just the right consistency, you usually continue to treat them with care, folding them gently into the batter and being careful not to break them. Not so with this recipe. After beating the whites, they are unceremoniously stirred — not folded, stirred — into the batter.

And if that wasn’t bad enough, the whole thing is then returned to the mixer and beat — yes, I said “beat”, sir — for 5 minutes. This seemed to completely destroy the integrity of the egg whites. But I have to admit that the resulting batter was light, airy, and beautiful.

I baked the pound cake for about an hour, which, incidentally, was about how long it took to wash all the dishes this masterpiece created.

It smelled great baking and came out of the oven looking great. I cooled the cake in the pan for about 5 minutes, then unmolded it and let it cool before slicing into it.

Many people will tell you that pound cake is best if it is allowed to dry out for a day or so. That may well be true, but I’ve never put it to the test. I’m doing well if I can wait until it cools. Or mostly cools. Or cools to the point that it won’t burn my fingers and tongue.

So, how did this fussy pound cake stack up? It was good. Really good. No, it was delicious. Rich, buttery, with a moist crumb and just a touch of lemon flavor. I ate it warm, cold, and toasted the day it was made and over then next several days. I thought about serving it with crème anglaise on the third or fourth day, but it didn’t last that long.

However, even though this was a great pound cake, I don’t see myself making it again. As delicious as it was, it wasn’t that much better than other pound cake recipes that are half the work. I might use the ingredients and proportions from this recipe with a more modern, quicker mixing method. Now, that could be a winner.

This post is the first recipe in the Cakes section of the Modern Baker Challenge. Check out the Challenge page to see what the other bakers are up to this week.

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Ox Tongues {Bake!}

October 19, 2011 at 7:09 am (Bake!, Cookies, Nick Malgieri, Puff pastry)
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No, this isn’t a recipe for oxtail stew from the other end. Ox tongues are pastries, similar to elephant ears or palmiers, made by rolling puff pastry in sugar and baking until the sugar caramelizes.

The shape is what sets these pastries apart from their counterparts, and is also where they get their name. You begin by rolling out puff pastry dough, then cutting it into rounds. After chilling the rounds, you dredge the rounds in sugar, then roll them out in to an oblong shape, rather like an  ox’s tongue (use your imagination here, people!).

These were really good. They were almost more like a little cookie than elephant ears, which have layers of sugared pastry, but the taste was about the same.

I chose these Ox Tongues as my pick for our informal Bake! group, hosted by Kayte. I made them quite a while ago, but didn’t get around to posting them, as I somehow lost my photos. I thought I might make them again before time to post the recipe, but no such luck.

You’ll have to trust me that they were delicious and looked really good. And only slightly resembled an ox’s tongue.

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Apple Tart with Lattice Crust {Bake!}

October 12, 2011 at 7:27 am (Bake!, Cake, Dessert, Nick Malgieri, Tart Crust, Tarts & Pies)
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A small group of us have been working our way through Nick Malgieri’s Bake! at the slow steady pace of a few recipes per month. We took August off to catch up on any recipes we might have missed, or to get ahead on the next section. We started up again in September with Truffle Brownies, a great way to start, if you ask me.

This was the second recipe for September, chosen for us by Kayte. Yes, I said September. I actually made this recipe on time, I just didn’t get around to posting it until now. A month to catch up, and I’m already behind.

This was a fairly straightforward recipe. It’s basically an apple pie baked in a tart shell with a lattice crust.

The lattice topping is brushed with egg wash and sprinkled with sugar.

I had some filling leftover, so I baked it in a gratin dish with the extra crust from the lattice.

 This was a good pie, nothing extraordinary. Probably not one I’ll make again. But then, I have a lot of great apple pie, tart, and cake recipes to choose from.

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Truffle Brownies {Bake!}

September 4, 2011 at 8:04 am (Bake!, Cake, Cookies, Dessert, Nick Malgieri)
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The Bake! group is back in business after taking a break during August to catch up on missed recipes or just enjoy the final days of summer. Our first September recipe, chosen by Glennis, is Truffle Brownies. According to Nick Malgieri, these brownies derive their name from the fact that they are “almost as rich as chocolate truffles”.

Photograph “courtesy” of Margaret at http://www.teaandscones.wordpress.com

I had a computer breakdown last week and lost my photos of this recipe, so I borrowed the picture above from my friend Margaret’s blog.

 
The recipe for these brownies was fairly straightforward. It called for a lot of butter, brown sugar, and bittersweet chocolate, with just enough flour to hold it together. Nick wasn’t exaggerating about the flavor, either. They really did remind me of truffles.
 
These were by far the best brownies I’ve ever made, and probably the best I’ve ever tasted. The outside had just a bit of crunch to it, but the centers remained rich and gooey. These brownies would satisfy fudgy and cakelike brownie lovers alike.
 
The recipe says to cut the brownies the day after baking them, but we had a houseful of adolescent and teenage boys when I made these, so there was no chance of that happening. They were excellent shortly after baking. I can’t imagine them being better the next day (although I will definitely try them again to find out).
 
The Bake! bakers are a casual group of friends who make about two recipes per month from Nick’s book. Our Facebook page lists the upcoming recipes. Feel free to join in if you have the book!
 
Next up: Lattice-topped Apple Tart, chosen by Kayte.

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Golden Sour Cream Cake {Bake!}

August 7, 2011 at 7:57 am (Bake!, Cake, Dessert, Family, Holiday Baking, Nick Malgieri)
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A group of us are taking turns picking recipes from Nick Malgieri’s most recent book, Bake! My friend Kayte came up with the idea, and we’ve grown to a small but dedicated group of about half-a-dozen bakers.

My most recent pick coincided with my birthday, so of course I was going to choose cake. And since my favorite cake is yellow cake with chocolate frosting, the choice was easy. I actually chose two recipes: golden sour cream layers (p. 125) and perfect meringue buttercream, in the baker’s choice of vanilla or chocolate (p. 156).

The kids were out of town on a visit to my parents’ house the weekend before my birthday, so I made the cake layers and double wrapped them in plastic wrap, planning to make the buttercream frosting the evening before or day of my birthday. A number of the other bakers reported issues with the meringue frosting, especially when adding chocolate, so I was anxious to see how it would work out for me. As it turned out, my mom had planned to bake me a cake while she was here, so she went ahead and frosted the cake layers using her tried-and-true frosting recipe.

I’ll try the frosting later, but the cake was delicious. The layers were a tad dry, but that may have been because I made them a few days ahead of time. In any case, the flavor was great, and I’ll make this cake again.

If you’d like to bake along with us, pick up a copy of Bake! and drop Kayte or me a line. We’re “rewinding” for the month of August, which means we’re not adding new recipes, and we’re using the month to catch up on recipes or posts we may have missed. Check out our Facebook page for the recipe lineup beginning in September.

In the meantime, check out what Kayte, Abby, and Margaret thought about this cake.

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Cream Cheese Scones {Bake!}

May 27, 2011 at 7:24 am (Bake!, Modern Baker Challenge, Nick Malgieri, Quick Bread)
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This week’s Bake! selection is from our newest baker, Glennis, who chose these simple, delicious scones for her first pick. And a great pick it was.

The dough consisted of flour, sugar, baking powder, cream cheese, salt, butter, eggs, and milk, and came together very quickly in the food processor. After mixing the dough, I dumped it out on a floured board, kneaded it a few times, and divided it in two.

I shaped each piece of dough into a circle about six inches in diameter, then scored each one into six sections.

Although the recipe didn’t call for it, I topped each scone with sprinkling sugar. I baked the scones at 425°F for 20 minutes, let them cool a bit, then divided them.

I served the scones with red currant jelly. They were moist, not as crumbly as many scones, and really delicious.

This was such a simple and quick recipe. It took just over half-an-hour start to finish. Definitely one to make again and again.

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Strawberry Chantilly Cake {Bake!}

May 4, 2011 at 6:39 am (Bake!, Dessert, Holiday Baking, Nick Malgieri, Twitterbake)
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My friend Kayte had a birthday recently. And in a budding Twitterbake tradition, she chose her own birthday cake from Bake! by Nick Malgieri. Kayte always has a cake with strawberries for her birthday, so this was a natural choice.

This was really more of a set of assembly instructions than a recipe. The directions referred to two other recipes — one for the cake layers and the other for sweetened whipped cream — which were combined with fresh strawberries to make this cake.

Assembling the cake was a breeze. The first layer was spread with whipped cream, layered with strawberries, and finished with more whipped cream. Then the top layer was placed on the cake, and the whole thing was spread with whipped cream. I decorated the top of the cake with sliced strawberries.

I served this cake on Easter, along with blueberry crumble pie and carrot cake. All three were bit hits, and I personally liked the blueberry pie the best. But this cake disappeared first. In fact, my 10-year-old nephew had about four pieces!

The cake layers were moist and light, and the whipped cream was so good I just wanted to eat it by the spoonful. It’s important to use really good strawberries for this recipe, as they add a lot to the overall flavor. There was a small piece of cake that escaped the Easter carnage, and I found that it was even better the next day. In fact, the next time I make this cake, I will assemble it a day ahead of time so the flavors have time to meld.

By the way, if you’re wondering why there are no pictures in the post, with all the excitement around here on Easter, I didn’t get any. You’ll just have to trust me that this cake was as beautiful as it was delicious. Or better yet, don’t take my word for it. Get a copy of Bake! and try it for yourself.

9 Comments

Best & Easiest Carrot Cake {Bake!}

May 3, 2011 at 7:31 am (Bake!, Baking: From My Kitchen to Yours, Cake, Dessert, Dorie Greenspan, Nick Malgieri, Twitterbake)
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Just before Easter, it was my turn to choose our next Twitterbake recipe from Bake!, and I quickly decided on carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. We were having family over for Easter dinner, and this seemed like a perfect, Springy dessert to have along with blueberry crumble pie and strawberry Chantilly cake.

The cake was very easy to mix up. After whisking the dry ingredients in a bowl, I mixed brown sugar, eggs, and oil in another bowl, then stirred in the dry ingredients, shredded carrots, and chopped pecans. I scraped the batter into two 9-inch cake pans and baked the cakes for 45 minutes at 375°F.

After cooling the cake layers in the pans for about 5 minutes, I removed them from the pans and let them cool completely. When the cake was cool, I mixed up the cream cheese frosting, which consisted of cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla. The frosting seemed a bit too liquidy to me, and when I frosted the cake, it was clear that it should have been a bit thicker.

OK, so it wasn’t a picture-perfect cake, but it was perfectly delicious. A number of my baking friends swear by Dorie Greenspan’s carrot cake recipe from Baking: From My Kitchen to Yours. I’ve never made Dorie’s recipe, but I do have that book.

Having had Nick’s wonderful carrot cake, I need to try Dorie’s recipe. For scientific comparison purposes, of course.

5 Comments

Empanadas {Bake!}

April 19, 2011 at 9:55 pm (Bake!, Nick Malgieri, Twitterbake)
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We owe last night’s dinner — or at least the inspiration for it — to my friend, Marthe Teunis. No, she didn’t fly to Ohio from The Netherlands to cook for us (but how cool would that have been?). But she did choose empanadas from Bake! for our next group baking recipe.

For some reason this recipe took me forever to get around to making. I bought the ingredients, put them away, got them back out, and on and on. I made the puff pastry with Nick’s amazingly simple and delicious recipe (also in Bake! — you really should get this book) two weeks ago and put it in the freezer when I realized I wasn’t going to get around to making the empanadas that weekend. Then last week I made the chicken picadillo filling and again ended up putting it in the freezer as the timing didn’t work out.

I got both the pastry and filling out of the freezer this past weekend, thinking I would make the empanadas on Sunday. I finally got around to baking them for dinner last night (Monday). Fortunately, with the filling and puff pastry done, it was really just a matter of assembling everything. Of course, I couldn’t make things too easy, so I decided to make a few different empanadas. I had some Portobello mushrooms and canned chicken, so I made a sherry-mushroom-chicken filling. And I had a can of apple pie filling for caramel apple empanadas.

The dough rolled out beautifully, and the empanadas came together quickly. I made the two savory varieties first and then threw together the apple empanadas while the first batch was in the oven.

The savory empanadas were both delicious. I started with the mushroom and chicken version and was pretty sure it would be my favorite. Then I tasted Nick’s version, and it was amazing! The filling was mildly spicy and blended perfectly with the buttery, flaky crust.

The caramel apple empanadas were good, too, but not as good as the savory versions. I probably should have baked them a bit longer or at a slightly higher temperature. The taste was fine, but they weren’t as crispy as I would have liked.

Nonetheless, I am sold on Nick’s version of empanadas. The puff pastry is perfect, and the filling possibilities are almost endless. I definitely want to try the ground beef version in the book. And I could see keeping extra filling in the freezer for an easy weeknight dinner.

Some of my Twitter friends made these, too. Check out these posts by Abby, Andrea, and Kayte.

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