Busy-Day Cake

As I become more comfortable in the kitchen, I find myself increasingly enchanted by Southern cookery. Although I was fed well growing up (thanks mother), our meals were something one might consider “new-Southern”, a.k.a “casserole cooking.” Canned cream of mushroom was never a pantry’s reach away, alongside the infamous blue box, jarred tomato sauce and Stouffer’s lasagna. Our weekly dinner menu was usually a rotation of meatloaf, spaghetti, shepherd’s pie and beef stroganoff; all delicious things that will always remain in my repertoire. But not by any means Southern. 

I am however, deeply influenced by both my grandmothers’ cooking. Nanna Dozier was often found whipping up chicken and dumplings from scratch, while Nanna Hagler always had a pot of  spicy gumbo waiting patiently on the stovetop for hungry grandchildren to come gobble it down. It is these memories that nudge me to not only revive these recipes from the past, but to pass them along to future generations.

As I have begun to study Southern cuisine more diligently,  I have discovered the wonderful works of Edna Lewis, better known as the Grande Dame of Southern cooking. Her writings have been essential to the preservation of an almost lost art. And although I am not the first person to discover her beautifully written recipes, I know later is better than never. 

When I first read the words “Busy-Day Cake” in A Taste of Country Cooking, I was immediately spell-bound. How incredible is the idea of always having a freshly baked cake waiting in the kitchen on-the-ready, luring in unsuspecting passerby’s with the lingering aroma of spicy-sweet nutmeg. It is a tradition I will now strive for in my own house, hopefully not an impossibility but rather an attainable goal.

This cake honors its name — not too sweet and yielding a thick, almost cornbread-like crumb. Use the freshest ingredients available to you, as Edna would have. And put away the stand mixer for once and get that wooden spoon moving. The cake will taste better that way, as things made with love have tendency to do. 

BUSY-DAY CAKE

Source: Adapted from A Taste of Country Cooking

• 8 tablespoons butter (1 stick), at room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/2 cup whole milk

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Butter and flour a 10-inch square and 2-inch deep cake pan or 9-inch springform pan, set aside. (I used an 8-inch round cake pan).

With a large wooden spoon, beat the butter and sugar in the bowl until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating to incorporate after each addition.

In a large bowl, blend the butter and sugar by hand until it is light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one by one, beating the batter with a wooden spoon after each addition. Stir in the vanilla.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Alternate adding the flour mixture and the milk, starting with 1/2 cup of flour and 1/3 of the milk, and ending with the remaining flour. Stir well after each addition.

Spoon the batter into the cake pan, and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake about 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean. No need to ice, just serve warm with a glass of cold milk or freshly whipped cream.

Lookie, Lookie…I’ve got a Cookie

Walter’s big 2-7 came and went with plenty of to-do. I’m a HUGE fan of birthdays — both other people’s and my own — and a firm believer in a multi-day celebration (I’ve been known to celebrate a little thing called Nealey-gras…and it’s awwwsome).

Thus the festivities began last Tuesday with an early surprise of Lakers vs. Rockets playoff tickets at Staples Center. Yes, I know I am the most amazing girlfriend ever. We braved 5:00 traffic on the I-10 in order to hit up the famous Philippe’s beforehand for some award-winning French Dips. We ate three. Not each, but trust me on this, three is a lot, even for us. Probably too much, but you only live once, right? If the night had ended there my life would have been complete. But lucky for us it didn’t (the night, not my life). The game was amazing despite our nose bleed seats, and the Lakers won by 40 points. Maybe Walt and I are their lucky charms? Doubt it.

On Saturday, our friend Garrett and I planned a “Walter hates his birthday” surprise party, since Walter well, hates his birthday. The only requirement was to come ready to pester him with high-fives and fist-pumps, and we’d supply the rest. The rest being a fully stocked liquor bar and tasty snacks made by yours truly. I spent the day trying my hardest not to spill the secret (this was tough, so very tough) and then mysteriously disappeared about an hour before “call time” to pull all of the details together at Garrett’s.  In just one hour I pulled together Dixie Caviar, Pesto Pasta Salad, Magic Bars, and Jack’s to-die-for Coca Cola burgers, while Garrett decorated with cheesy birthday decor (you know, balloons, hats, streamers…the works). We lured him to Garrett’s with some sort of fib about watching the new fall “pilots” and grilling a Tenderloin. At the time it seemed to work, but in the end I’m not sure if Walt was actually surprised. At least he did a good job of making us feel like we had him fooled. Good boy.

On Monday (the day before the big day), I set out to find a perfect cake recipe, since Walt had requested a Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake for the big day. Back South we grew up with cookie cakes from The Great American Cookie Co., but these days only homemade would do.  I was a little timid in the kitchen due to the fact that I have been having a tough time with Chocolate Chip Cookies lately, but I brushed my nerves aside and set on my way. The dough was delicious (isn’t it always?)…but the cake? Well…it was even MORE delicious. It was chewy and sweet and moist and just as it should be. I topped it with Duncan Hines Classic Chocolate Frosting, since it is most like the Cookie Co. icing. I was in such a hurry to give Walt his cake that I raced through the letters — which is probably why they look so wild. Walt said he wouldn’t have it any other way. Next year I’ll try to slow down.

Yesterday was Walt’s actual birthday (FINALLY), and we celebrated by going to see The Allman Brothers at the Greek Theater. We gobbled down leftover cookie cake on the way there, chased down with Budlight in the can. Perfection. The show was amazing, but by the end of the night I was ready for sweet, sweet sleep. Turns out, birthday weeks are exhausting. But that doesn’t mean I’m not counting down until next year. Only 364 days to go. 

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE CAKE

Source: Recipezaar

• 1 cup butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups flour plus 4 tablespoons flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat butter and sugars together. Add eggs and vanilla.

Mix flour, salt, baking soda, and cream of tartar in a separate bowl. Slowly add dry ingredients to the batter and mix until well blended. Stir in chocolate chips.

Spread dough into a 15 1/2 inch round pan (I used a 9 x 13 cake pan which worked perfectly). Bake for approx. 25 minutes. Frost, if desired. YIELDS 15 servings. 

Give me a kiss…

I had the luxury of spending a summer studying abroad in Florence, Italy while in college. Along with about 50,000 other American girls, my best friend Jennifer and I packed up our travelers checks and Teva’s and headed for la dolce vita. My good intentions were to bide my time mastering both the beautiful Italian language as well as the stunning art and architecture. Well, my language skills may still be lacking, and I don’t really remember much about Brunelleschi, but there is one thing I did master — the cuisine.

While my fellow classmates were out spending their parents’ hard-earned money on Dolce & Gabbana, I was spending mine on food. A fette biscottate and caffe e latte started each day; a pizzetta piled high with the freshest mozzarella, tomatoes and tuna drizzled in rich olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt made a perfect lunch on the go; and loads and loads of homemade tagliatelle, paparadelle and gnocchi swimming in bright tomato sauce closed out our evenings. But the food I remember most is Italy’s famous gelato.

Summertime in Florence reaches sweltering temperatures, not only from the bright Tuscan sun but because the thick stone walls of the buildings were designed to trap heat during the harsh winters. Since it is a walking city, Jennifer and I often found ourselves on the verge of heat stroke after trolling from museum to museum. Looking for somewhere to quench our thirst, we quickly discovered a little gelato stand near our flat. The owner was the most adorable elderly gentleman, and his eyes would light up when we first approached, and he was always generous with samples. I will never forget the moment when he handed me a spoon dripping in chocolate-hazelnut gelato. “Here, a kiss for you,” he said sweetly. I blushed; those Italians really do know how to turn on the charm. It turns out that chocolate-hazelnut gelato is called bacio, which means kiss in Italian. What a perfect name for a perfect dessert.

Here is a FANTASTIC replication of bacio… now all that’s missing is the Arno.

CHOCOLATE-HAZELNUT GELATO

Source: Giada De Laurentiis

• 2 cups whole milk
  
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup sugar, plus 1/4 cup
• 4 egg yolks
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup chocolate-hazelnut spread (recommended: Nutella)
• 1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts, crushed, for garnish

In a saucepan combine the milk, cream, and 1/2 cup sugar over medium heat. Cook until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl whip the egg yolks with the remaining sugar using an electric mixer until the eggs have become thick and pale yellow, about 4 minutes. Pour 1/2 cup of the warm milk and cream mixture into the egg mixture and stir. Add this mixture back into the saucepan. Cook over very low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture becomes thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, about 7 to 10 minutes.

Place a strainer over a medium bowl and pour the warm custard mixture through the strainer. Stir in the vanilla and hazelnut spread until it dissolves. Chill mixture completely before pouring into an ice cream maker and follow manufacturer’s instructions to freeze. To serve, scoop gelato into serving bowls and top with hazelnuts. (YIELDS 4 CUPS – next time I would double the recipe. It is just sooo good!)

Berry, Berry tasty… Strawberry cupcakes

I have been wanting to make strawberry cupcakes for quite a while, and the Super Bowl seemed like the perfect excuse to whip some up. I didn’t want to use a boxed mix and strawberry Jello for these, although I am sure those have their place. After searching countless blogs (who else loves Food Blog Search as much as me?), I found a good base cake recipe that looked delicious. The frosting was a little bit harder for me to choose, but I finally decided on a strawberry buttercream. 

Now, this is only my 2nd experience making cupcakes, which makes me quite the novice. My first time went quite better than expected, and all of my friends still talk about the famous Godiva infused buttercream. (I like liquor and I like butter, okay. The thought of combining them seemed genius. And it was!) With the luck I had last time, I was hoping this would go just as smoothly. 

I made the actual cupcakes the night before I was planning on icing them. There were a few small kinks, but overall, these cupcakes were divine. Let me share a couple of tips that might improve them. First of all, the recipe called for 1/4 cup of canola oil, which adds moisture to the cakes. And while these were probably the moistest cupcakes I have ever eaten, some of the oil did sink to the bottoms, leaving everything a little greasy. Since oil isn’t very appealing to most, next time I will reduce the oil to just a couple of tablespoons, and add a little applesauce to retain the moistness. Also, when I chopped the strawberries, I left them a little on the chunky side to retain the authenticity of the berries. Next time, I might give them a finer chop or even puree them, just as a little experiment with the flavor.  Lastly, my cupcakes were not ready in 20 minutes. I left them in about 23 minutes and they came out perfect.

Now on to the buttercream…oh, the buttercream. Talk about a sinful, creamy, dreamy frosting. It is a little time consuming to make, but fairly hard to mess up. It is derived from a simple vanilla buttercream recipe, with the addition of strawberry preserves. The original recipe called for homemade preserves, but I have no problem using a good store bought preserve. Here I used Bonne Maman, and the result tasted of pure strawberry. I will say, these cupcakes are rich, rich, rich, so I will probably only make them every now and then. Maybe next Super Bowl. Then again, maybe not. How about next Saturday. 

Angie’s Famous Strawberry Cupcakes 

Source: Good Things Catered

• 2 1/2 cups cake flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
• 1 1/2 cups sugar (or a little less)
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 c. buttermilk
• 1/4 c. oil – Next time, I will reduce this a little. They were on the greasy side
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 c. chopped strawberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare 2 cupcake pans. In a medium bowl, sift flour, salt, and baking soda. 

In a separate mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time until combined. Next, add buttermilk, oil and vanilla until well combined. Fold in flour mixture and finally stir in the berries. 

Fill cupcake pans 3/4 the way full. Bake for 20 minutes. Test the cupcakes for doneness by inserting a toothpick in the center. If the toothpick pulls clean, the cupcakes are done. Remove from oven, cool in pans for 5 minutes and then remove to a baking rack. Allow to cool completely before icing. Makes 24 cupcakes.

Strawberry Buttercream Frosting (Makes enough to frost 24 cupcakes)

Source: Phemomenon

• 1 cup sugar
• 4 large egg whites
• 3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 – 1 1/2 cups strawberry preserves
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Put the sugar and egg whites in a mixer bowl or another large heatproof bowl, fit the bowl over a pan of simmering water and whisk constantly, keeping the mixture over the heat, until it feels hot to the touch, about 3 minutes. The sugar should be dissolved, and the mixture will look like shiny marshmallow cream. Remove the bowl from the heat. Working with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer, beat the meringue on medium speed until it is cool, about 5 minutes.

Switch to the paddle attachment if you have one, and add the butter 4 tablespoons at a time (half stick each time for a total of three installments), beating until smooth. Once all the butter is in, beat the buttercream on medium-high speed until it is thick and very smooth, 6-10 minutes. During this time the buttercream may curdle or separate – just keep beating and it will come together again. On medium speed add the vanilla. You should have a shiny smooth, velvety, pristine white buttercream. Add the strawberry preserves and beat until well combined. Press a piece of plastic against the surface of the buttercream until you are ready to frost. Pipe or frost onto each cupcake. Garnish with a whole strawberry, chopped in half.

C is for Chocolate Chip Cookie

Cookie dough rocks my world. All types. I’ll take cookie dough ice cream, slice and bake or home-made, just gimme a spoon and show me the way. My middle sister happens to share this love affair with me, and we have spent many a nights eating an entire batch of dough straight from the bowl while watching a chick flick and discussing life’s unexplained mysteries. Now, my sister swears she makes the best chocolate chip cookies EVER. This is a bold statement considering she only makes cookies from the mix, and wouldn’t know a home-made recipe if it hit her with a stick. However, she insists this is just a minor detail as long as you know precisely down to the second when to remove the cookies from the oven. In case you are interested, to us Dozier girls, this in when they are still raw and gooey (again, we are usually in it for the dough, people). 

You must imagine my excitement when I found out my boyfriend Walt loves cookies as much as I do (maybe more, this debate is still up in the air). Chocolate chip as a matter of fact. Yes, he’s an angel. A few months into dating, he decided to let me in on his family’s ultimate cookie recipe that he had been making since he was a child. Gosh, I must be doing something right. We bought all of our ingredients and hit up the kitchen for a bake fest. I immediately surprise attacked the bowl to get in a good spoonful of dough, and to my dismay, Walt freaked out. An all-out battle broke out between me, Walt and the cookie dough. I’m talking WWIII here. Apparently, Walt thinks cookie dough’s sole purpose in life is to be baked into actual cookies, not eaten raw. The horror. I lost the battle (two against one) and retreated to lick my wounds. Blasphemy, I tell you. He may have won the battle, but I was determined to win the war. 

The delicious scent of freshly baked cookies came wafting from the kitchen, and I felt obliged to wave the white flag ( I am weak to the smells of oooey, gooey chocolate. Don’t judge me). We sat down to feast on a massive pile of cookies and one large glass of milk, two straws. These cookies were moist, chewy and just plain delightful. Clearly, the Thompson family was on to something good. We have since made many, many batches of these same cookies, each time better than the last (so we tell ourselves). Sometimes we throw in a handful of walnuts, Sometimes not. We also prefer Kosher salt to table salt, because the larger granules make for the perfect combination of sweet and salty in each bite. It really is up to you, though. These are going to be good no matter what you do, except burn them. Don’t do that.

These babies are giving cookie dough everywhere a run for its money. Go and make them now, and you might just have your new secret family recipe. Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone where you found it. 

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Source: Adapted from Alpha Bakery Cookbook

• 1/2 cup sugar
•  1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 2/3 cup butter, melted
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
•  6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

Heat oven to 375 degrees 

Mix sugars, butter, and egg in large mixing bowl. Add in flour, baking soda and salt (dough will be stiff). Lastly, add chocolate chips and walnuts

Drop by rounded tablespoons onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake until light golden brown, 10-12 minutes. Let cool slightly and remove from cookie sheet. Yields 24 cookies. 

 

 

Big Momma’s Banana Bread

My boyfriend loves banana bread. He also swears by his mother’s recipe for it (as he does for most things food related). Being the incredible girlfriend that I am, I secretly emailed his mother for the recipe in order to surprise him. She happily obliged, so I set out on my first attempt. I heard from a fellow blogger the best way to make banana bread is to rot the bananas for 10 days, so I threw them in the refrigerator to let them turn black and gooey. They were disgusting! I had to make Walt put them into the bowl so that I didn’t lose my lunch. They were perfectly sweet for the batter, though, and made the bread nice and moist.

Mrs. Tina swore to me that is impossible to mess this up. Sounds like my kind of recipe. The ingredients are all items I had on hand, but apparently there are plenty of substitutions you can make in case you run out. You can use sour cream, buttermilk or yogurt, so long as you have a little acidity to react with the baking soda. I used sour cream this time around, and it worked like a charm. When I pulled the bread from the oven, it was moist and the flavors were complex. I served it with butter and cream cheese on the side, and everyone scarfed it down immediately ( I did  manage to salvage one slice to photograph, though, and hid for myself to enjoy later). I think this recipe will definitely be a keeper, especially since Walt is so fond of it. I might try to experiment with a few other recipes, just in the name of research, but I have a feeling this one will be around for the long run. 

And just in case you were wondering about the name, in the email to me, Mrs. Tina said if this banana bread was my claim to fame, not to call it something like Big Momma’s Banana Bread. That being said, it was just too good of a title to resist. Sorry, Mrs. T!

BANANA BREAD

Source: Tina Thompson, via House Beautiful, November 1979

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup melted margarine
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 small RIPE bananas
• 1/2 cup sour cream, buttermilk or yogurt
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Add sugar, melted margarine and eggs into large bowl and stir until mixed. Next, add flour, baking soda and salt and continue until blended. Add sour cream, buttermilk and nuts and stir until well combined. 

Pour into greased loaf pan and cook for one hour. 

 

Chocolate Wafer Icebox Cake

Image via Billy's Bakery NYC

I have tendency to use any and every opportunity I get as a chance to bake or cook and birthdays are no exception. Whenever a friend’s birthday is coming up, I ask them what their favorite cake is. They are usually so excited to get something homemade, and it saves me the trouble of having to pick out a present. My boyfriend’s roommate Haley is no exception. His mother is apparently quite the baker, so I knew whatever he chose would have tough competition. When he said he wanted a chocolate wafer icebox cake, my eyes must have glazed over. “A what?”

After a little research, I learned this cake is not really a cake at all, but a combination of Nabisco Famous Chocolate wafers and homemade whipped cream that sit in the fridge overnight to marinate. C’mon Haley, how about a little challenge? This is just too easy to be any good. But he swore up and down that this cake is amazing, and apparently so does Opera and Magnolia Bakery… two resources I don’t question often. Rumor has it that these cookies are hard to find, so I set out to find these auspicious little wafers, and after hitting up multiple grocery stores I finally found them at my local Albertsons in Venice Beach (if you have trouble locating them, you can order them online here). Unfortunately, I did a double take when I saw my total grocery bill. At almost $7 a box for the wafers, this cake had better be good!

Haley and I got to work on his cake (he insisted on helping, and who can say no to the birthday boy). I whipped the cream in my trusty KitchenAid stand mixer, and then we arranged the wafers on a cake platter, stacks at a time. Seriously, this is about as easy as it gets people. When we finished, I sifted a little cocoa powder on top for garnish and stuck it in the refrigerator overnight to “marinate”. I waited eagerly like a kid on Christmas morning to try the cake, and man it did not disappoint. It was soooo yummy! Everyone kept complementing me, but I really couldn’t take any credit for something so simple. I can thank Haley, though, for introducing me to this little piece of heaven!

P.S. –  Apologies for no pictures of my own. The cake was gone so quickly I couldn’t even spare a slice, which I guess means I am going to have to make it again sooner rather than later (wink). 

Image via Amazon

 

CHOCOLATE WAFER ICEBOX CAKE

Source: Adapted from Smitten Kitchen, via The Magnolia Bakery Cookbook

4 cups heavy cream
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 (9-ounce) packages chocolate wafer cookies
Unsweetened cocoa (or chocolate shavings)

With an electric or stand mixer, beat cream, sugar and vanilla until stiff.

On a serving platter of your choice, arrange 7 cookies in a circle, and add 1 cookie in the center.

Spread the first row of cookies with a thick layer of whipped cream. Repeat with remaining cookies and cream. Cover top layer with cream. Cover and allow to sit in the refrigerator overnight.

Garnish with cocoa powder or chocolate shavings before serving.