Valentine’s Day: hearts and flowers and chocolate covered strawberries! This year I decided to see if I could capture all the goodness of a chocolate covered strawberry in a cake. Layers of strawberry flavored cake, luscious strawberry jam, a dusting of sweet and salty crumb, all surrounded by a rich and luxurious chocolate ganache. I also wanted a cake a homecook could make without special equipment or ingredients. So, this recipe comes complete with shortcuts! You can make the cake from scratch, or you can use a box mix. I made a quick and easy strawberry jam but you ...
Cakes
JANUARY IN PARIS: GALETTE DES ROIS
It’s January in Paris and on the shelves and in the display cases of every patisserie and bakery you will find a Galette Des Rois (King’s Cake). The simple puff pastry shell encases a filling of delicate almond cream and a thin layer of apricot jam. Hidden inside is a small “feve”, traditionally a bean but more often a tiny figurine of the baby Jesus. The lucky finder of the feve receives a paper crown and the title of King for the day. Although Twelfth Night (January 6) is the traditional day for enjoying a King’s Cake, the French will eat their fill throughout the ...
CARROT CAKE
Those who know me well will certainly have heard this story before. It was my first real life lesson, and it has served me well for many years. I went to boarding school when I was fifteen. We lived in a row of New England clapboard houses on Main Street, 20 girls or so in a house. Each house had a living room and a kitchen which were available to use. Of course, our meals were all served in a Dining Hall, so the kitchens were mostly used for baking gifts and birthday cakes and cookies for bake sales. Somewhere in there I came across a carrot cake recipe. I don’t honestly ...
CHANGING SEASONS WITH FRESH FIG CAKE AND FIG JAM
This lovely, not-too-sweet-cake is inspired by my new home, and the fig tree growing next to my back porch. It's not a fancy cake, there is no icing to make or spread. The flavor comes from fresh figs. Some are chopped and added to the batter and the remainder are cooked down into a light jam and spread between the layers. The result is a moist, light cake which is slightly remniscent of a Fig Newton in taste (although not in consistancy). September is almost over and Fall is upon us. While I miss the already cold nights of my home in the mountains, there is much to learn and enjoy ...
THE BEST STRAWBERRY PANCAKE I EVER MADE
What makes a pancake a pancake? Is it how it is cooked? The ingredients? When you eat it? Does it matter? This delicious “pancake” may or may not meet the common definition of a pancake, but it will knock your socks off for its delicious strawberry filled flavor, the slightly crunchy top, and the soft, pillowy interior. As a former Bed & Breakfast owner, I have cooked a lot of breakfasts in my life but it’s been a while since I made a dish that got the reception this one did at our Easter Brunch. And since I told you I would share any recipe I thought worth your time, I could ...
BRING ON THE HOLIDAYS! CRANBERRY CHOCOLATE TART
I'm taking a break but I couldn't leave you without a fabulous dessert for the Holidays. I posted this blog last year and will be making it again this year. Tart from cranberries, rich with chocolate and lovely to look at, it's a sure winner! It’s November 29th, the Sunday after Thanksgiving. My tree is up and decorated. The outdoor lights are on. My house smells like cinnamon and pine. For the first time in my life I bought my Christmas tree before Thanksgiving and decorated it on Thanksgiving Day. I went for a walk this evening. The glow of lights on many of the houses and ...
WHY YOU ARE GOING TO MAKE A FRUITCAKE THIS YEAR
I hear you. Fruitcake is awful. It's a hard rock of weirdly colored candied fruits which doesn't taste much like fruit. In addition, most commercial fruitcakes are sickeningly sweet. No one wants to make that! But what if it wasn't? What if fruitcake was a joyous celebration of dried fruits: pineapple, golden raisins, cranberries, along with pecans, candied ginger and delicate candied peel? What if the cake was moistened with apple brandy, heady with the taste of fall? Would you make it then? Gather your fruits and nuts in a bowl and toss them together. If you like a bit more ...
SO WHAT IS A JAPANESE STYLE STRAWBERRY CAKE?
A delicate sponge cake containing a layer of fresh strawberries and a gelatin stabilized whipped cream icing, made in the Japanese style. What is a Japanese Cake and how is it different from any other cake? If you have traveled to Asia and spent any time at all walking through markets and towns, chances are you have passed a bakery. The shelves hold beautiful confections, shiny with fruits glazes, filled with fruit flavored custards and mousse. They look familiar but somehow not. And that’s what they are. They are an Asian fusion of European style cakes using fruits and ...
FAIRY CAKES FOR MAISIE
Fairy Cakes are a British treat. Small cakes made of Victorian Sponge and topped with a simple icing and a candy or two, they are easy to make and hard to resist! I spent four days last week babysitting my three-year-old granddaughter and 6-month-old grandson. My sister asked me how it went, and this is what I said: Babysitting was very similar to having children. Good days and bad days, boredom and anxiety, fun and laughter, hugs and kisses and tremendous love. Not to mention those lovely moments sitting in a dark room holding a baby and watching him fall asleep. And of course, ...
ORANGE ALMOND TEA CAKE WITH CARDAMON
Autumn is upon us and it’s time for something different. Cakes! My glazed orange and almond cake with a hint of cardamon is perfect with a cup of coffee or tea, for breakfast (!) or lunch, snacking or dessert. Up to now we’ve been making a lot of pies. For the most part, pies are easy: pastry, filling, assemble, bake. Cakes require a little more care. Truthfully, they are less forgiving than a pie. But not that much! Let’s start simply. Get all your ingredients mixed and ready to go: flour, baking powder and salt whisked in a bowl, sugar measured, eggs beaten with almond and ...
