Category Archives: Dessert

Chestnut Bundt Cake — Naturally Gluten Free and Delicious

Posted on December 4, 2012 | 3 comments

Well, this next recipe isn’t quick or simple, and the featured ingredient, chestnuts, may be seasonal, but turns out they aren’t likely local unless you live in Italy. Not much of an endorsement? Well it turned out to be delicious, gluten-free without trying to be, and to be honest, I just want to remember it so I can make it again! Chestnut recipes are actually not that plentiful on the internet. Dessert chestnut recipes at least.

I kind of stumbled upon this recipe in a round about way. I impulsively picked up a bag of fresh chestnuts at Trader Joe’s, thinking it would be a fun way to get into to the holidays. When I lived in Spain, street venders came out once the weather turned chilly to sell fresh roasted chestnuts. So, last week our house filled with the smell of chestnuts roasting… while I yelled at Baby to stay back from the oven each time I opened it, “HOT!” (She loves to say “hot” now.) From my time in Europe, I also had vague memories of a sweet paste made from chestnuts and set out to make that.

I roasted the chestnuts according to the package. They were okay. I kind of felt like I was eating acorns though. Then I found this video on how to make chestnut puree from fresh chestnuts. After roasting and peeling the chestnuts, you boil 2 cups of them in 2-3 cups of water with 1 cup of sugar and a vanilla bean (I used two vanilla beans.) They boil for 30 minutes and are then pureed with a little orange zest. Mine tasted delicious but it never got super smooth. Perhaps I should have roasted them longer or if I had a better blender, but mine still had a little bit of texture to it. Don’t get me wrong, I still ate quite a bit straight from the spoon. Sugar and vanilla definitely highlight and feature the somewhat bland taste of chestnuts.

I still wanted to do something good enough to share with friends as we were going to a holiday party. I thought the little harder bits of chestnuts would be less than ideal in a creamy dessert, like a Mont Blanc, but good in a cake. I finally found the recipe below deep in a foodie thread and it ended up being delicious… sweet, but not too sweet, and with an excellent crumb. As a bonus, the recipe calls for almond meal instead of flour which was perfect since one of my good friends is gluten intolerant. One thing: learn from my mistakes: I greased my pan but skipped flouring it. I should have “floured” it with almond meal. I also let my cake cool over night in the pan. Uggh, it meant that the cake was really hard to get out. Mine actually fell apart a little. I had to think on my feet and patched it together with a little melted unsweetened chocolate, mixed with half and half and a little sugar. That was probably another happy accident as well!

Chestnut Bundt Cake Recipe

Recipe found in a thread on chow. The original poster said that her “mum uses the French sweetened chestnut puree in tins in the baking section at Wholefoods.”

Whip/beat together
300g/10.5 oz. confectioner’s sugar
400g/14 oz. sweetened chestnut puree (store bought or recipe follows)
200g/7 oz. butter (I used 4 oz.)
7 egg yolks

Add:
300g/ 10.5oz ground almonds
1 good pinch baking powder

Add carefully without overbeating:
7 stiffly beaten egg whites.

Pour into a greased and floured baking tin or bundt mold. Bake for 60-65 minutes at 350F/180C.

Notes:

  1. The poster suggested reducing the butter by half. I was happy with the results from 4 oz. or 1 stick of butter.
  2. To easily make this cake gluten-free, substitute the flour with almond meal when preparing the pan or bundt mold.
  3. You can tell this isn’t an American recipe as the ingredients are listed by weight instead of volume. For a snazzy-looking, reliable, and reasonably priced kitchen scale, try the Escali Arti 15 Pound, 7 Kilogram Digital Scale. (Today the purple one is half off!)

Fresh Chestnut Puree (made from fresh chestnuts)

  • 1 pound of fresh chestnuts
  • 2-3 cups of water (enough to cover the chestnuts)
  • 1 cup of sugar
  • 1-2 vanilla beans
  • zest of one orange
  • (optional) splash of cognac

Step 1: Preheat oven to 425° F. With a very sharp and pointy knife, cut a small “X” into the flattest side of each chestnut. Roast the chestnuts for 20-30 minutes, until the skins start to peel at the “X”. (Note: another option might be to boil the chestnuts.) Once they are cool enough to handle, but before cooling completely, peel off the tough outer shell and brown inner skin.

Step 2: Boil 2 cups of the roasted and peeled chestnuts with enough water to cover them, and 1 cup of sugar. Cut the vanilla bean lengthwise, scrape out the seeds and add the seeds and the bean to the pot. Boil for 30 minutes until the liquid has reduced to a syrup. Remove from the heat and let cool.

Step 3: Remove the vanilla bean and puree the chestnuts and syrup with the orange zest and optional cognac in a food processor or good blender. (I skipped alcohol since I shared a little with Baby.) Add a little more water, as needed.

 

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Mike’s Pumpkin Cheesecake with Cranberry Gelée

Posted on November 19, 2012 | 3 comments

Along with my favorite Chocolate Espresso Pecan Pie, another holiday dessert I have made a couple years in a row is this Pumpkin New York Cheesecake with a Cranberry Gelée topping. The recipe (and photo) comes from one of my friends from high school.  Mike shared: “I had the plain Cheesecake recipe ever since my first job in 8th grade as a busboy. It is still to this day my favorite cheesecake. It lends itself to flavor variations quite well, but for my money, you just can’t beat the pumpkin variety.”

Pumpkin New York Cheesecake with Cranberry Gelée Recipe

Makes two cakes: Divide everything in half for one.

CRUST:
8 cups ground cinnamon graham crackers
3 sticks melted butter

Add butter to crumbs until mixture molds in your fist. Then press evenly into 2 buttered 9” spring form pans. Bake 10 minutes at 375° F.

FILLING:

Soften 3 – 8 oz packages of cream cheese. Beat cream cheese together with 3/4 cups sugar until fluffy.

ADD:
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons corn starch
1 cup sour cream
MIX WELL.

IN SEPARATE BOWL:
Mix:
One large can of pre-seasoned pumpkin pie filling
5oz evaporated milk
2 eggs
Increase spice as desired, remembering that the cheesecake will dilute the flavor a bit.

COMBINE FILLINGS

POUR into graham cracker crusts

BAKE at 350° until center is firm.
(Note: Baking in a water bath will prevent the top from drying out and cracking.)

LET COOL completely.

Topping
Cranberry Gelee Topping for Pumpkin Cheesecake

2 Cups Fresh Cranberries
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup orange juice
A sprinkling of fresh orange peel zest
1 1/2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin

In a medium saucepan, combine the cranberries with 1/2 cup water and cook over moderate heat until they begin to pop, about 5 minutes. Let cool. Transfer to a blender and puree until smooth. Strain the puree through a fine sieve. Rinse out the saucepan.

Add the sugar and 1/4 cup of water to the saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring until dissolved. Stir in the orange juice and strained cranberry puree. Let cool.

In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over 2 tablespoons of water, and let stand until softened, 5 minutes. Microwave for 10 seconds or until completely melted. Stir to make sure it’s smooth, and then whisk the gelatin into the cranberry mixture, and pour over the cake; shake it gently to even out.

Refrigerate until set, at least one hour and up to two days.

Remove cake from fridge 10 – 15 minutes before serving. Tastes better when it’s not quite so cold.

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Chocolate Espresso Pecan Pie

Posted on November 13, 2012 | 2 comments

The holidays are coming! My favorite part of getting ready for the holidays has to be baking. I’m happy to share my favorite recipe, a chocolate espresso pecan pie, with you here. It is, just as the title implies, a pecan pie made more decadent, yet less cloyingly sweet, with dark chocolate, espresso and cocoa nibs. Cocoa nibs are 100% chocolate, in its raw and natural state. They are crunchy, slightly bitter and remind me vaguely of fresh peanuts. I’ve made this pie at least half a dozen times and it never disappoints! Serve with fresh whipped cream, a cup of black coffee, and you have my perfect dessert.

This year, while transcribing the recipe for the chocolate espresso pecan pie, I decided to research alternatives to the original recipe’s suggestion of corn syrup. Apparently in Louisiana, cane syrup is considered traditional in pecan pies. Others have also used maple syrup and honey. I think using brown sugar plus a little bit of liquid would give a great flavor, complementing the pecans. I will probably end up using the same as last year: a mix of brown rice syrup and organic, non-GMO, corn syrup.

Update (1/2/13): I made the pie again for Christmas with honey in place of the corn syrup. I highly recommend warming up the honey until it is liquid, and even watering it down a little, before adding it in. If not, thick honey will be hard to mix by hand. I personally felt like I could taste the honey, but my family liked it, and some even preferred it.

Chocolate Espresso Pecan Pie Recipe

Recipe adapted minimally “Chocolate Espresso Pecan Tart” from Evan Kleinman of KCRW’s Good Food

  • 1 (9-inch) unbaked all butter pie crust (recipe follows)
  • 6 oz. Bittersweet Chocolate, broken into chunks
  • 3 eggs, slightly beaten
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 cup brown rice syrup, homemade cane syrup, honey, maple syrup or corn syrup
  • 2 Tablespoons butter, melted
  • 1 Tablespoon Trablit Coffee Extract
  • 1 1/4 cups pecans
  • 1/4 cup Cocoa Nibs

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Scatter the chunks of chocolate over the pie crust.

In a medium bowl with fork beat eggs slightly. Add sugar, syrup, butter and coffee extract and stir until blended. Stir in pecans and Cocoa Nibs. Pour into pie crust.

Bake 50 to 55 minutes or until knife inserted halfway between center and edge comes out clean. Cool on wire rack.

Notes:

I sometimes brush the bottom of the uncooked crust with a little egg white, just before filling. I also keep the crust, once it is in the dish, in the fridge up until the last minute, to keep the butter in it cold. (The chunks of butter are what create flakes!)

All Butter Pie Crust Recipe

Makes a double crust. Since the chocolate espresso pecan pie only needs a bottom crust, use the other half for a quiche, a pumpkin pie or freeze for an easy pie crust in the future. From The Baker’s Dozen Cookbook via eggbeater.

  • 2 Cups all purpose flour
  • 4 Tablespoons sugar (optional, I usually omit)
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 8 ounces unsalted butter
  • ice water, to incorporate

Cube butter evenly and freeze. Place all dry ingredients in the bowl of a Kitchen-Aid mixer. When butter is frozen, use paddle attachment with mixer on the very lowest setting, and drop butter in a few pieces at a time. Stay close by. Put ice and cold water in a measuring cup. When the chunks of butter are slightly larger than pea size, dribble in the ice water until dough does not appear dry and JUST begins to come together. Turn the dough out onto a dry surface and push together with the heel of your hand. Try not to knead or overwork the dough, you want it to come together so you can roll it out. This dough can be used right away! This amount makes enough for a top and a bottom. If you are not going to use it right away, double wrap it in plastic and refrigerate for 3 days or freeze for up to a month.

 

  

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Baby Bird’s Banana Smash Cake: A Healthier Option for a First Birthday

Posted on October 25, 2012 | 3 comments

The idea of a “smash cake” is getting more and more popular these days. It is generally a small cake given to a one-year-old at his or her party. Babies can dive into it and make a mess, while a larger cake is reserved for the rest of the party. Some parents also find this an opportunity to make baby’s cake more healthy. Since I attempted a tres leches cake for our baby’s first birthday party, I saw exactly how much sugar went into it and wanted to give her something a little healthier and developed this healthy banana smash cake.

banana smash cake: a healthy smash cake recipe for baby's first birthday

This banana smash cake will not be winning any beauty contests. If you would like to find a tutorial on decorating a gorgeous smash cake, try this one. However, I couldn’t find any decent, healthy recipes for cake for a one-year-old that looked like they tasted good. Our baby has had wheat and now whole eggs, so my main concern was reducing the sugar. Since she loves bananas, I decided to make something up, based on my banana bread and a basic banana cake. Feel free to substitute a gluten-free flour mix. You can also try using flax or chia seeds in place of the eggs.

It was also important to me to avoid any artificial dyes or coloring, as well as artificial ingredients in general. A lot of “frosting” is partially hydrogenated shortening plus sugar and food coloring. I tried whipping up a can of coconut milk, which was popular on pinterest, but frankly, it tasted like a can. I decided there was nothing wrong with a little bit of organic cream, especially since whole fat yogurt is one of her staples.




The most challenging part of making a mini cake is simply finding mini pans. Before you go out and buy something, look and see what you might have at home. I had oven safe ramekins that looked about the right size. I also had 4″ tart pans that I thought could make little “layers” for a two layer cake. After filling up the ramekin and pans, I had enough batter to fill up a pan of one dozen mini muffins. I figured Baby would be able to share the healthy treats with her baby friends. And with the mini muffins the three of us were able to sample the cake straight from the oven (it really was best warm).

banana smash cake: a healthy smash cake recipe for baby's first birthday

Baby Bird’s Banana Smash Cake Recipe

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Baby Bird's Banana Smash Cake: A Healthier Option for a First Birthday
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Recipe type: Dessert
Prep time: 
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Total time: 
 
A healthy banana cake, low in sugar and free of artificial ingredients or coloring, ideal for a baby's first birthday.
Ingredients
  • 1¼ cup flour
  • 1½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt (optional)
  • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ¼ cup coconut oil (or butter)
  • ½ cup date sugar or sweetener of your choice
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup mashed ripe bananas
  • ⅓ cup kefir, baby yogurt or sour cream
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon of sugar or agave (optional)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Line bottom of ramekin with a cut out circle of parchment paper. Grease pans (4" ramekin or mini tart pans plus mini muffin pan.)
  2. Sift dry ingredients (the first four ingredients) together.
  3. In a mixer, cream the oil and sugar until fluffy. (Note: coconut oil does not get as fluffy as butter.) Add the egg and vanilla and beat until light. Gently stir in the bananas, alternating with the dry ingredients and the kefir or yogurt.
  4. Pour into the prepared pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Mini muffins and mini tart pans: 12 minutes. Ramekin: 35-40 minutes.
  5. Let cool completely before frosting.
  6. To make the frosting: Whip cream, vanilla and sugar in a mixer with a wire attachment until stiff peaks form. Let baby taste from the bowl.
  7. Decorate the cake rustic style or smooth out and decorate with piping. Top with a candle and baby's favorite fruit.

 

Variation: One of Baby’s friends turned one this past weekend and her mom made an adorable caterpillar cake for her Very Hungry Caterpillar themed party. The head was the baby’s smash cake and the body was cupcakes for the rest of the party.

Update: Try Baby Bird’s Pumpkin Smash Cake for a gluten-free option!


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Rick Bayless’ Tres Leches Cake

Posted on October 18, 2012 | 1 comment

One benefit of living in San Diego, or Tijuana Norte, is our proximity to great Mexican food. And it’s impossible to attend a few birthdays (Mexican or not) without eating the ubiquitous tres leches. Pastel de tres leches, or “three milk” cake, is usually a sponge cake drenched in 1. evaporated milk, 2. sweetened condensed milk and 3. heavy cream (or half and half). It’s moist and sweet and lighter than you would expect.

Planning our Bebe’s first birthday party, I was content keeping the menu simple and having Whole Food’s catering make sandwiches. But I wanted to try my hand at making dessert. Since her party had a strawberry theme, I wanted something with strawberries, whip cream, and cajeta, of course.

It may not be a beauty, but it turned out delicious!

Tres Leches Cake Recipe

MAKES A RICH 10-INCH CAKE, SERVING 12 TO 15

Adapted from Pastel de Tres Leches from Rick Bayless’ Mexican Kitchen (Simon & Schuster)

For the cake

  • 3/4 cup, (about 3 ounces) almond meal or ground, toasted almonds
  • 1 cup, (3 1/2 ounces) cake flour – sifted before measuring
  • 10 tablespoons, (5 ounces) unsalted butter
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons, pure vanilla extract
  • 6 large eggs at room temperature
  • 3/4 cup, plus 2 tablespoons, sugar
  • the finely grated zest (colored rind only) of 1 orange

For the “soaking” mixture and frosting

  • 2 cups, heavy (whipping) cream [divided use]
  • 3/4 cup, evaporated milk
  • 2/3 cup, cajeta (goat-milk caramel), either store-bought or homemade (can substitute sweetened, condensed milk)
  • (optional) 1/4 cup, orange liqueur (such as triple sec, Cointreau or Grand Marnier)

TO MAKE THE CAKE: Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease a 2-inch deep, 10-inch round cake pan or springform pan. Line the bottom with a round piece of parchment paper, then grease the paper and flour it all – pan and paper.

In a small pan, melt the butter over medium heat, stirring and swirling until the butter is nut brown – about 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, swirl to allow it to cool a little, then stir in the vanilla. Set aside until needed later.

In the large bowl of an electric mixer (you will need a heatproof bowl, preferably stainless steel), combine the eggs, 3/4 cup of the sugar and the orange zest. Select a saucepan that the mixer bowl will fit snugly into without the bottom of the bowl touching the bottom of the pan. Add to the saucepan about 1 inch of water and bring to a simmer. Set the mixer bowl over the simmering water (you’ll need to regulate the heat so the water no more than simmers), and whisk for several minutes, until the mixture in the bowl is very warm to the touch and foamy, and the sugar is completely dissolved. Transfer the bowl to the electric mixer and beat the warm egg mixture for a full 5 minutes (the mixture will be as thick as whipped cream that almost holds peaks).

Lower the speed, and now, with the mixer on the lowest speed, add the almond meal and flour a couple of spoonfuls at a time, letting one addition just disappear before adding the next. Thoroughly mix 1/4 cup of the cake batter into the butter/vanilla mixture. Then, in 2 additions, use a whisk to fold the butter mixture into the remaining cake batter.

Immediately and gently scoop this batter mixture into the prepared pan and bake until the cake feels slightly springy on top and the sides just begin to pull away from the pan, about 35 minutes. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a rack and cool completely.

TO MAKE THE “SOAKING” MIXTURE: Mix 3/4 cup of the cream with the evaporated milk and the cajeta in a small bowl. Slowly brush or spoon half of the mixture over the cake while on the cooling rack. Carefully invert your serving plate over the cake and flip the two. Remove the cooking rack from what is now the top and slowly brush or spoon on the remaining mixture. (Soaking the cake will take 10 to 15 minutes, letting each addition soak in before adding more.)

TO FROST THE CAKE: With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the remaining 1 1/4 cups of the cream with the remaining 2 tablespoons of the sugar and the orange liqueur until very stiff. (I skipped the liqueur as I had a few friends at the party that do not drink alcohol.) Spread the whipped cream over the sides and top of the cake. Refrigerate until ready to serve. I topped it with fresh strawberries.

Notes:

The cake layer can be made several days in advance, wrapped in plastic and refrigerated; it may be wrapped and frozen for up to 3 months. The cake can be soaked a day ahead, but do not frost until the day you are serving.

Do not attempt to make a double recipe in a standard size mixer. I learned the hard way that the sponge really grows!

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