Coconut Cake- Happy Birthday to ME!

I usually make the Chocolate Angel Food Cake for my birthday.  I bought all the ingredients, and was ready to make it this morning, until I changed my mind, and made this Coconut Cake. We had a little party this afternoon and had some cake.  Amazingly good.  This is yet another Ina recipe.  She says 10-12 servings, but this would easily serve 16.  

Coconut Cake
10 to 12 servings

Ingredients
3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing the pans
2 cups sugar
5 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons pure almond extract
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the pans
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup milk
4 ounces sweetened shredded coconut
For the frosting:

1 pound cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract
1 pound confectioners' sugar, sifted
6 ounces sweetened shredded coconut
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 2 (9-inch) round cake pans, then line them parchment paper. Grease them again and dust lightly with flour.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium-high speed for 3 to 5 minutes, until light yellow and fluffy. Crack the eggs into a small bowl. With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs 1 at a time, scraping down the bowl once during mixing. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix well. The mixture might look curdled; don't be concerned.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the dry ingredients and the milk to the batter in 3 parts, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Fold in the 4 ounces of coconut with a rubber spatula.

Pour the batter evenly into the 2 pans and smooth the top with a knife. Bake in the center of the oven for 45 to 55 minutes, until the tops are browned and a cake tester comes out clean. Cool on a baking rack for 30 minutes, then turn the cakes out onto a baking rack to finish cooling.

For the frosting, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the cream cheese, butter, vanilla and almond extract on low speed. Add the confectioners' sugar and mix until just smooth (don't whip!).

To assemble, place 1 layer on a flat serving plate, top side down, and spread with frosting. Place the second layer on top, top side up, and frost the top and sides. To decorate the cake, sprinkle the top with coconut and lightly press more coconut onto the sides. Serve at room temperature.

Summer Berry Cake

Happy Fourth of July!
I was in charge of dessert this year for our Fourth of July celebration at the lake. I really wanted to make the beautiful berry cake with the biscuit crust on the cover of this month's Martha Stewart magazine. So I followed the directions for making the biscuit, and left the dough in my fridge overnight. I baked it the next day. YUCK! It was raw in the center, and done too much on the outside. So I had to throw the whole thing out and start again. I gave up on Martha altogether, and went back to my Ina, who never lets me down. Here is her recipe for Strawberry Country Cake, which was absolutely delicious. I left out the orange zest because I feel that it can be too overpowering sometimes. Two great things about this cake- one, you bake once and get 2 desserts out of it, and two the cake freezes beautifully, so you can make it way in advance, then just defrost it when you need dessert. Whip up the whipped cream, cut up some berries, and you're all set. I added blueberries in mine to set the red,white and blue mood.

Summer Berry Cake

For the cake batter- this makes 2 8 or 9 inch rounds, which will make 2 dessert cakes. Freeze one and save it for later.
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
3/4 cup sour cream, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

For the filling for each cake:
1 cup (1/2 pint) heavy cream, chilled
3 tablespoons confectioner's sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 pint fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
1 pint blueberries

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Butter the bottom of two 8-inch cake pans. Then line them with parchment paper and butter and flour the lined pans.

Cream the butter and sugar on high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy. On medium speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, then the sour cream, zests, and vanilla, scraping down the bowl as needed. Mix well. Sift together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda. On low speed, slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and combine just until smooth.

Pour the batter evenly into the pans, smooth the tops, and bake in the center of the oven for 40 to 45 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then remove to wire racks and let cool to room temperature. If using 1 cake, wrap the second well and freeze.

To make the filling for one cake, slice the strawberries and combine with the blueberries in a large bowl. Add sugar to taste, and let sit for 10 minutes. Whip the cream, sugar, and vanilla in a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until firm. Slice one of the cakes in half with a long, sharp knife. Place the bottom slice of the cake on a serving platter, spread with 1/2 the whipped cream and scatter with the berries. Cover with the top slice of the cake and spread with the remaining cream. Decorate with berries.

Black and White Angel Food Cake

This wonderful cake from Ina's new book, Barefoot Contessa At Home, is delicious! I wish I had a better picture of the cake itself, but you see the 2 year old can't get enough- so it must be good! I wanted to make a dessert that was on the light side for a New Year's dinner, but that had a lot of flavor, and felt like dessert- not some fruit thing disguised as dessert. Just fantastic. I saw Martha Stewart make some angel food cakes today in mini angelfood pans- like muffin tins. This would be great for that. Maybe bake for only 25-30 minutes. I covered the entire cake like frosting with the glaze, and used my food processor to grate the chocolate.


Black and White Angel Food Cake

2 cups sifted superfine sugar (about 1 pound)
1 1/3 cups sifted cake flour (not self-rising)
1 1/2 cups egg whites at room temperature (10 to 12 eggs)
3/4 tsp. kosher salt
1 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup coarsely grated semisweet chocolate
For the glaze:
1/2 pound semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Combine 1/2 cup of the sugar with the flour and sift them together 4 times. Set aside.

Place the egg whites, salt, and cream of tartar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on high speed until the eggs form medium-firm peaks, about 1 minute. With the mixer on medium speed, add the remaining 1 1/2 cups of sugar by sprinkling it over the beaten egg whites. Beat on high speed for a few minutes until thick and shiny. Add the vanilla and continue to whisk until very thick, about 1 more minute. Scrape the beaten egg whites into a large bowl. Sift 1/4 of the flour mixture over the egg whites and fold it very carefully into the batter with a rubber spatula. Continue adding the flour in 3 equal additions, sifting and folding until it's all incorporated. Fold in the grated chocolate.

Pour the batter into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan, smooth the top, and bake it for 35 to 45 minutes, until it springs back to the touch. Remove the cake from the oven and invert the pan on a cooling rack. When cool, run a thin, flexible knife around the cake to remove it from the pan.

For the chocolate glaze, place the chocolate chips and the heavy cream in a heat-proof bowl over a pan of simmering water and stir until the chocolate melts. Pour the chocolate over the top of the cooled cake to cover the top completely and allow it to drizzle down the sides. If you have chocolate glaze left over, you can serve it on the side with the cake.

Chocolate Truffles

As I said, I really like to give homemade gifts. Not only is it more economical, but I think people are more impressed that you actually spent the time to make them something. I really have some issues with chocolate. I love to eat it, but I haven't learned the science behind it. I'd love to take a class. Anyway, I saw that Ina had made truffles and it looked so easy. And it is! I've made Hazelnut truffles and Kahlua truffles so far. Just substitute in your favorite liqueur. I did have one probelm. I tried to make Ina's white chocolate truffles as well. They're flavored with Bailey's, but I just couldn't get it to solidify. I don't know why. Some day I'll find out. However, the dark chocolate ones do not disappoint. Eat one with a warm cup of coffee. I think I may do that right now.
This recipe comes from Barefoot in Paris.

Chocolate Truffles

3 1/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate
3 1/2 ounces semisweet chocolate
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 tbs. liqueur (Grand Marnier, Frangelico, Baileys, Kahlua)
1 tbs. prepared coffee
1/2 tsp. good vanilla
cocoa powder
chopped roasted hazelnuts

Chop the chocolate finely and place in a bowl.
Heat the cream in a small saucepan until it boils. Immediately pour the hot cream through a fine-mesh seive into the bowl with the chocolates. with a wire whisk, slowly stir the cream and the chocolate together ubtil the chocolate is completely melted. Whisk in the liqueur, coffee, and vanilla. Cover with plastic wrap, and chill until set, about 45 minutes.
With two teaspoons, or a 1 1/4 inch ice cream scoop, make dollops of the chocolate mixture and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Refrigerate 15 minutes, until firm enough to roll into balls. Roll in cocoa powder or nuts and chill.

Ina says don't use chocolate chips, as they may have stabilizers.
I had a 3 ounce bar of bittersweet chocolate, so I did 3 ounces bittersweet, 4 ounces semisweet.
The kind of chocolate is important. It needs to be really good. I used Scharffen Berger and Ghirardelli.
You'd be surprised how easily choclate melts from the heat of your hands. Try not to touch it when you're chopping it up.
Roast whole hazelnuts 25 minutes, 350 degrees. Put all the nuts in a kitchen towel, and rub the skins off. Roast chopped hazelnuts 350 degrees, 10 minutes.
I needed to put the choclate over a doulbe boiler to get it completely melted.
Keep the truffles refrigerated. Remind the recipient that they should keep the truffles in the fridge.
They shouldn't be prefect little balls. They are supposed to look like the mushroom truffles that those pigs find in Europe. Yes, those pigs.

Pecan Bars

We've been traveling. We had a lovely visit back east with my family. I was itchin' to get back in the kitchen, though. Eileen made the banana bread while we were there. She used margarine, instead of butter, and baked the bread as one loaf in a glass pan. Delicious! We celebrated my grandmother's 88th birthday. We had a good time. Sending thanks to my family- we had a great visit!
While I was away, I kept thinking about Thanksgiving. This being a cooking holiday, I get very excited. I'm making the pies- pumpkin and apple, and I made some dinner rolls( for a future post). My father-in-law likes pecan pie. We never had pecan pie in my family. It was always pumpkin and apple- maybe some rogue cherry would show up, but always apple and pumpkin. I don't make pecan pie. It's not that I'm against it, but jeez, there's only going to be 6 of us this year, including the baby. We can't eat 3 pies. Well, we could, but we shouldn't. And I have to have apple and pumpkin. So I was watching Ina the other day, (you know where this is going: BUTTER), and I saw her make these pecan squares, dipped in chocolate. I don't know how you could eat one of these dipped in chocolate. They are so sweet and so good. I really wasn't crazy about them the first or second day. By today, though, I ate 1 1/2, and had to force myself to forget they were in the fridge. Ina says this yields 20 bars. I got 48. You should cut them small. They are super rich. So my father-in-law will have some pecan something, and I don't think he'll miss his pie. This comes from the indispensable Barefoot Contessa Cookbook.

Pecan Squares

Crust
1 1/4 pounds unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs
3/4 tsp. good vanilla
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt

Topping
1 pound unsalted butter
1 cup honey
3 cups light brown sugar*
1 tsp. grated lemon zest
1 tsp. grated orange zest
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 pounds pecans, coarsely chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
For the crust, beat the butter and granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, until light, approximately 3 minutes. Add the eggs and the vanilla and mix well. Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix the dry ingredients into the batter with the mixer on low speed until just combined. Press the dough evenly into an ungreased 18 X 12 X 1 inch baking sheet, making an edge around the outside. It will be very sticky; sprinkle the dough and your hands lightly with flour. Bake for 15 minutes, until the crust is set but not browned. Allow to cool.
For the topping, combine the butter, honey, brown sugar, and zests in a large, heavy bottomed saucepan. Cook over low heat until the butter is melted, using a wooden spoon to stir. Raise the heat and boil for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in the heavy cream and pecans. Pour over the crust, trying not to get the filling between the crust and the pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the filling is set. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold. Cut into bars and serve.

* I ran out of brown sugar and had to use the home substitution- molasses and granulated sugar. 1 cup of brown sugar= 1 cup granulated sugar + 1/2 cup molasses. I wonder if the bars are different if you follow the directions.
The dough was indeed very sticky. It was pretty tough getting into the pan and making it even.
You really do want a large saucepan. The sugar can boil up and scare the bejeesits out of you.
You will get the filling between the crust and the pan.
Husband was at a driving event and Abbie and I went to see him. I wanted to bring him some bars, so I cut them before they were cool. Don't do that.
Ina puts in a note that the filling will bubble over the edge of the pan in the oven. It does, and it did. But she says to put tinfoil or a larger baking sheet on a lower oven rack. I did, but I thought, why didn't I just put the tinfoil directly under the pan in the oven, instead of letting it drip between the racks.

Ina's New Cookbook and Pumpkin Scones

It's here, it's here, it's here!!! I have received Ina's new cookbook and am just pleased as punch! It was just the motivation I needed to come into the kitchen and make my husband some much deserved pumpkin scones. We are hosting Abbie's playgroup's Halloween Party, and I intend to make everyone GO OUTSIDE. My dear husband cleaned the leaves off the lawn and picked up all the dog poop. Hmmm, I'm in love. So while he was at work, I whipped up some scones. Abbie often accompanies me in the kitchen, but today was the first real cooking she's done. Abbie stirred the pumpkin mixture together. Delicious the first day, they get a little less crisp on day two. These are from the wonderful Cheeseboard Collective Works.


Pumpkin Scones

1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 cup canned or homemade pumpkin puree
3 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tbs. baking powder
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground ginger
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1 inch cubes

Topping
1/4 cup sugar
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a baking mat.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the cream, buttermilk, and pumpkin.
Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg together into the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the salt and the sugar to the dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon until combined. Add the butter and cut it in on low speed for about 4 minutes, or until it is the size of small peas. Make a well in the center and add the pumpkin mixture. Mix briefly, just until the ingredients come together; some loose flour should remain in the bottom of the bowl.
Gently shape the dough into balls about 2 1/4 inches in diameter, and place them on the prepared pan about 2 inches apart.
For the topping, mix the sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl. Sprinkle the mixture on the top of the scones. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Transfer the scones to a wire rack to cool.

I like to use my big ice cream scoop to get the dough on the baking sheets. They all come out about the same size, and you don't need to get your hands dirty. I hope you enjoy making these for the dog-poop-picker-upper in your life.

Chicken Noodle Soup

Today is Ina Day! Ina Garten's new cookbook "Barefoot Contessa At Home" was released today. I'm expecting my signed copy in the mail any day now. In honoring Ina Day, I had to make an Ina recipe. I had just made loads of chicken stock a few days before, and had a chicken breast in the freezer. Abbie is a huge soup freak, and loves this. It makes a ton of soup, so you can freeze some. Home-made stock is always better than store-bought, but if you have to use it, buy Swanson's. Ina starts by roasting chicken breasts, then shredding them into the soup. Do yourself a favor, and buy a whole chicken. Eat half of it for dinner, make stock with the carcass, then make soup with your stock and leftover chicken. You won't be sorry.
Congratulations Ina!

Chicken Noodle Soup

1 whole (2 split) chicken breasts, bone in, skin on
olive oil
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 quarts homemade chicken stock
1 cup medium-diced celery (2 stalks)
1 cup medium diced carrots (3 carrots)
2 cups wide egg noodles
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place the chicken breast on a sheet pan and rub the skin with olive oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until cooked through. When cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the bones, discard the skin, and shred or dice the chicken meat.
Bring the chicken stock to a simmer in a large pot and add celery, carrots, and noodles. Simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes, until the noodles are cooked. Add the cooked chicken meat and parsley and heat through.
Season to taste and serve.

Shredding the meat makes it look kind of earthy, and not manufactured. I like it better that way.