LEMON RICOTTA CAKE

Whole-milk ricotta is my new favorite baking ingredient. It makes for such moist baked goods. This is a glazed cake, baked in a loaf pan. Enjoy!

Lemon  Ricotta  Cake

Serves 10

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

4 regular or Meyer lemons (zest and juice)

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs at room temperature

1/3 cup butter, melted and cooled to room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup whole-milk ricotta at room temperature

2 tablespoons half-and-half

1 cup powdered sugar

1. Butter 8 ½­inch by 4 ½­inch loaf pan. Then line it with parchment paper, letting paper overhang on long sides and leaving short sides without paper.

2. In medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

3. In large bowl, combine granulated sugar and lemon zest from lemons. Use your clean fingers to rub zest into sugar until the sugar is texture of wet sand.

4. Add ¼ cup of freshly squeezed and strained lemon juice and stir.

5. Whisk in eggs, one at a time. Then whisk in cooled butter and vanilla.

6. In small bowl or 2-cup measuring cup, combine ricotta and half-and-half. Stir until smooth.

7. To egg mixture, gently stir in one-third of dry ingredients just until combined. Stir in half of ricotta mixture. Repeat, ending with dry ingredients and never overstirring.

8. Pour cake batter into prepared pan and bake in middle of 350°F. oven for 50 to 60 minutes or until cake tests done.

9. Let cake cool 10 minutes before running a knife around its edges and then using parchment paper as handles to lift cake out pan. Allow cake to cool on wire rack.

10. When cake is cooled, make glaze by sifting powdered sugar into medium-sized bowl.

11. Whisk in 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 tablespoon at a time, to make thick glaze that is pourable.

12. Pour glaze over cooled cake, allowing glaze to dribble down sides of cake. Serve thick slices, perhaps with a few fresh berries on the side.

BASIC VANILLA CAKE

It is tempting to use cake mixes. From-mix cakes turn out moist while from-scratch ones often do not. However, once one studies the ingredient list on a cake-mix box, one may vow to never go there again. That's what I did and thus began my search for tried-and-true basic vanilla and basic chocolate cake recipes. I have made this recipe only as cupcakes, but they were tasty.

Basic  Vanilla  Cake

Serves 12

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup butter at room temperature

1 ½ cups granulated sugar

4 large eggs at room temperature

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

½ cup water at room temperature

¾ cup heavy cream at room temperature

1. Butter two 9-inch-diameter, round cake pans, and line the bottoms with parchment or waxed paper cut to fit bottoms of pans. Butter papers, and then dust pans with flour, tapping out excess.

2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in medium-sized bowl until combined.

3. Beat butter in large bowl, using stand-mixer on medium-high speed.

4. Gradually add sugar, and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

5. Reduce mixer speed to medium. Beat in eggs, one at a time, scraping down bowl as needed.

6. Beat in vanilla. The mixture may look separated at this point.

7. Mix water with cream in measuring cup intended for liquids.

8. Stir flour mixture into creamed mixture in three batches, alternating with half of cream-water mixture. Do not over-stir.

9. Divide batter between prepared pans. Bake in 350°F. oven until cakes are lightly golden on top and centers spring back when lightly pressed, about 25 minutes. If anything, undercook slightly, since cakes will continue to cook in hot pans. Cupcakes will need 10 to 12 minutes.

10. Transfer pans to racks, and let cakes cool 10 minutes. Then run knife around the edges of pans, and turn cakes onto racks to cool cakes completely. Remove paper from cakes’ bottoms. You may trim tops of cakes with long serrated knife to make them level before frosting.

Recipe from Food Network Kitchen

ALMOND BUTTER CAKE or BARS

These are easy and delicious. They are a riff on a Marion Cunningham recipe. Would be a great dessert to have on hand for drop-in holiday visitors, since it keeps for a week at room temperature and would be delicious served with coffee, tea, or hot chocolate. Also a great recipe for kids to learn baking.

Almond Butter Cake or Bars
Serves 12

¾ cup butter

1 ½ cups granulated sugar

2 large eggs

½ teaspoon salt

1 ½ teaspoon almond extract

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ cup almond meal

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

½ cup sliced almonds

1. Using microwave, melt butter in medium-sized mixing bowl. Let butter cool until it is no longer hot—better yet, don’t let it get hot in the first place.

2. Add the 1 ½ cups granulated sugar and stir until smooth.

3. Add eggs, one at a time, stirring well after each addition.

4. Add salt, almond extract, and vanilla extract and stir until combined.

5. Add almond meal and stir well.

6. Add all-purpose flour and stir until combined.

7. Pour batter into buttered 9-inch cake pan to make thin cake slices or into buttered 11x7-inch cake pan to make bars that are thinner than cake.

8. Sprinkle cake or bars with 1 tablespoon granulated sugar.

9. Sprinkle sliced almonds over the sugar layer.

10. Bake in 350°F. oven for 30 to 40 minutes. When done, the cake or bars should be light brown on top and a few sticky crumbs should stick to toothpick inserted into center.

11. Let cool at least 30 minutes. However, the cake or bars are better after allowed to sit 12 hours or more. Cut into thin wedges.

12. Leftovers store well if wrapped in foil or sealed in a plastic bag. Can freeze indefinitely.

NOTE: These were good when made in an 8-inch square pan, but they seemed too thick. If 11x7-inch pan doesn’t work well for bars, try a 9-inch square pan. Cake wedges can be served with fresh fruit, such as strawberries or apples. Might try cake wedges with a dollop of whipped cream.

Chocolate Mint Cupcakes

A friend of mine hired me to make cupcakes for her daughter's 7th birthday party.  Her daughter requested chocolate mint cupcakes, which I'd never made before, so I turned to One Sweet Cupcake.

I pretty much followed the recipe, except I used bittersweet chocolate and didn't measure it, reduced the vanilla, and I had to guess how long to bake them.  For some reason, there aren't a lot of baking times in the recipes.

These turned out so great, I ended up making 2 batches, that's right, 48 freaking cupcakes, because I wanted some for my family too!  I frosted them with Vanilla Mint Buttercream, and garnished with half an Andes Creme de Menthe Thin (my friend's idea) and a sprig of fresh mint (my idea) and they turned out FABULOUS and DELICIOUS.  See for yourself.  And then make some for yourself!
 

Chocolate Mint Cupcakes
Adapted from One Sweet Cupcake
Makes 24 cupcakes

4 oz. high-quality bittersweet chocolate bar, chopped into small pieces
1/2 cup boiling water
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla
1 teaspoon peppermint extract

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cocoa powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place chocolate in the bowl of a stand mixer.  Pour boiling water over chocolate and let sit for 1 minute.  Using the whisk attachment, mix until smooth.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Add sour cream, applesauce, oil, eggs, vanilla, and peppermint.  Mix well.

In a separate bowl, sift flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder.  Turn the stand mixer on low, add dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated and smooth.

Line two standard muffin tins with paper baking cups.  Fill each cup two-thirds full with batter.  Bake about 20 minutes, until the tops spring back at the touch of your finger and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. 

Remove from tins and cool completely on wire rack before icing.

Frost with Vanilla Mint Buttercream and garnish with halved Andes Creme de Menthe Thins and fresh peppermint leaves, as shown.

Vanilla Mint Buttercream

Inspired by One Sweet Cupcake, I halved the recipe for Vanilla Buttercream and also made it minty to top off some Chocolate Mint Cupcakes.  (I didn't like her recipes for Peppermint Buttercream OR Grasshopper Buttercream for the purposes of this party)  I colored the frosting pale kelly green for a birthday party, but white or any other color would be just as nice. 

Vanilla Mint Buttercream
Adapted from One Sweet Cupcake
Makes enough to frost more than 48 cupcakes in method shown above.  :-)

1 pound butter, softened
pinch of salt
2 pounds powdered sugar
1/8 cup milk
1 tablespoon pure vanilla
1/2 tablespoon peppermint extract




In a stand mixer bowl with the paddle attachment, beat butter and salt until light, completely smooth and fluffy.  Turn the mixer speed to low and add half of the powdered sugar.  Mix until smooth. 

Add vanilla and peppermint to milk. 

Alternately, add remaining powdered sugar and milk extract mixture, beating until smooth and creamy.  Add green food coloring (I use Wilton paste colors) and mix until desired shade is reached.

Frost cupcakes as desired.  I garnished each cupcake with

Andes Creme de Menthe Thins and fresh peppermint leaves/sprigs.

**I will elaborate on my technique above if anyone would like me to!

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

A few years ago, I vowed never to buy another cake mix. Since then, I have been collecting reliable cake recipes. I made a half-batch of the recipe below with leftover canned pumpkin and was pleased with the results. By the way, I mixed the batter by hand.

Pumpkin  Spice  Cupcakes

Makes 24 cupcakes

      3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (1 5/8 c)

      2 teaspoons baking powder (1 t)

      2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (1 t)

      1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves (3/4 t)

      1 teaspoon ground allspice (1/2 t)

      1 teaspoon ground nutmeg (1/2 t)

      1/2 teaspoon baking soda (1/4 t)

      1/2 teaspoon fine salt (1/4 t)

      2 1/2 cups granulated sugar (1 1/4 c)

      1 cup vegetable oil (1/2 c)

      4 large eggs (2)

      1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin purée (about 1 3/4 cups) (7/8 c)

      Cream cheese frosting, optional

1.     Place flour, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt in large  bowl and whisk to aerate and break up any lumps; set aside.

2.    Place sugar and oil in bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until sugar is incorporated, about 1 minute. Stop mixer and scrape down sides of bowl and paddle with rubber spatula.

3.    Return mixer to medium speed and add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, about 1 1/2 minutes total mixing time. Reduce speed to medium low, add pumpkin, and beat until just combined, about 30 seconds. Stop mixer and scrape down sides of bowl and paddle with rubber spatula.

4.    Turn mixer to low speed, slowly add flour mixture, and beat until almost completely incorporated, about 1 minute. Remove bowl from mixer and fold in any unincorporated flour at edges and bottom with rubber spatula.

5.    Fill paper-lined muffin wells three-quarters full. Bake in 350°F. oven for 12 minutes. Rotate pans front to back and side to side and bake until toothpick inserted into center of cupcakes comes out clean, about 10 minutes more.  

6.    Place pans on wire racks and let them cool for 5 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pans and cool completely on racks. Frost with cream cheese frosting if desired.

NOTE: Half-recipe amounts in parentheses will make 48 mini-cupcakes. Bake 14 minutes.