Tangerine Cake

As promised, I wanted to share with you a recipe I made using my epic haul of citrus fruits over the weekend (check out my story of how it came to be, if you haven't read it yet).  This one has been bookmarked for ages and despite the bizarre instructions to boil the fruit whole and then puree it whole: skins, pith and all (!) I had a feeling it would turn out well.  I suppose I just completely trust Nigella Lawson, though God knows why.  Anyone that gorgeous shouldn't be capable of cooking their way out of a paper bag, but every recipe of hers that I've attempted has turned out to be lovely, decadent and worthy of every single one of the adjectives she uses to describe them.

This cake was no exception.  Despite it's unusual method, it's lack of flour and butter (or oil) and my artistic liberties, exchanging tangerines for the clementines called-for, it turned out beautifully.  Incredibly moist and light, yet with satisfying body, this cake made a beautiful dessert, but would be equally as nice served with a cup of tea or to accompany a brunch buffet.  And did I mention, it's Gluten-Free.

Not usually a raw batter-eater, I couldn't resist it this time.  From my little taste I had some serious concerns that it was going to taste bitter when cooked.  And perhaps the aftertaste was just slightly sharp, at first.  Not unpleasant though, in fact we delighted in every crumb:  it's texture, it's pleasant citrus aroma and unmistakable tangerine-ness. 

But then something happened.  I can't describe it and I don't know how exactly, but somehow the second day after baking, the cake became even more delicious.  It lost the sharp aftertaste, it mellowed, if you will...

Even if you don't find yourself with a mountain of citrus fruits, this is a beautiful dessert that showcases the best of the Winter produce.  You could even substitute oranges or lemons instead of tangerines or clementines (make sure to up the sugar, per Nigella's recommendations if you use lemons).

Tangerine Cake
adapted from Nigella Lawson
makes one 9-inch cake

3-4 tangerines (375 grams total weight)
6 eggs
225 grams sugar (about 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons)
250 grams ground almonds (2 1/3 cups; I used Bob's Red Mill Almond meal/flour)
1 heaping teaspoon baking powder

powdered sugar for dusting (optional)

Place the tangerines in a pot and cover with cold water.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 2 hours.  Drain and allow to cool, then slice each tangerine in half horizontally and remove any seeds.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Transfer cooked tangerines and all accumulated juices into the food processor (yep, you're putting them in whole - skins, pith, fruit and all) and blitz until pureed.

Spray a 9-inch springform pan with non-stick baking spray and line with a round of parchment paper, then spray that.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs.  Then add the sugar, almonds and baking powder and mix well.  Add the pureed fruit and stir to combine.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35-45 minutes, checking after 20 minutes to see if the top is browning.  If the top of your cake starts to turn dark brown or burn, cover the cake with foil for the remaining time.  The cake is done when a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out dry.  Remove cake from oven and set on a wire rack to cool, allow the cake to cool completely before removing it from the pan.

Serve cake at room temperature, dusted lightly with the powdered sugar.  

Question of the Day

What's your favorite citrus fruit?  What is your preferred way to eat it?

I adore grapefruits!  My favorite way to eat them is simply sliced in half and eaten with a spoon, although lately we've been coming up with creative ways to incorporate them into ev-ery-thing:  sliced on top of salads, pureed into smoothies and juiced for salad vinaigrette.

Tangerine Cake

As promised, I wanted to share with you a recipe I made using my epic haul of citrus fruits over the weekend (check out my story of how it came to be, if you haven't read it yet).  This one has been bookmarked for ages and despite the bizarre instructions to boil the fruit whole and then puree it whole: skins, pith and all (!) I had a feeling it would turn out well.  I suppose I just completely trust Nigella Lawson, though God knows why.  Anyone that gorgeous shouldn't be capable of cooking their way out of a paper bag, but every recipe of hers that I've attempted has turned out to be lovely, decadent and worthy of every single one of the adjectives she uses to describe them.

This cake was no exception.  Despite it's unusual method, it's lack of flour and butter (or oil) and my artistic liberties, exchanging tangerines for the clementines called-for, it turned out beautifully.  Incredibly moist and light, yet with satisfying body, this cake made a beautiful dessert, but would be equally as nice served with a cup of tea or to accompany a brunch buffet.  And did I mention, it's Gluten-Free.

Not usually a raw batter-eater, I couldn't resist it this time.  From my little taste I had some serious concerns that it was going to taste bitter when cooked.  And perhaps the aftertaste was just slightly sharp, at first.  Not unpleasant though, in fact we delighted in every crumb:  it's texture, it's pleasant citrus aroma and unmistakable tangerine-ness. 

But then something happened.  I can't describe it and I don't know how exactly, but somehow the second day after baking, the cake became even more delicious.  It lost the sharp aftertaste, it mellowed, if you will...

Even if you don't find yourself with a mountain of citrus fruits, this is a beautiful dessert that showcases the best of the Winter produce.  You could even substitute oranges or lemons instead of tangerines or clementines (make sure to up the sugar, per Nigella's recommendations if you use lemons).

Tangerine Cake
adapted from Nigella Lawson
makes one 9-inch cake

3-4 tangerines (375 grams total weight)
6 eggs
225 grams sugar (about 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons)
250 grams ground almonds (2 1/3 cups; I used Bob's Red Mill Almond meal/flour)
1 heaping teaspoon baking powder

powdered sugar for dusting (optional)

Place the tangerines in a pot and cover with cold water.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 2 hours.  Drain and allow to cool, then slice each tangerine in half horizontally and remove any seeds.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Transfer cooked tangerines and all accumulated juices into the food processor (yep, you're putting them in whole - skins, pith, fruit and all) and blitz until pureed.

Spray a 9-inch springform pan with non-stick baking spray and line with a round of parchment paper, then spray that.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs.  Then add the sugar, almonds and baking powder and mix well.  Add the pureed fruit and stir to combine.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35-45 minutes, checking after 20 minutes to see if the top is browning.  If the top of your cake starts to turn dark brown or burn, cover the cake with foil for the remaining time.  The cake is done when a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out dry.  Remove cake from oven and set on a wire rack to cool, allow the cake to cool completely before removing it from the pan.

Serve cake at room temperature, dusted lightly with the powdered sugar.  

Question of the Day

What's your favorite citrus fruit?  What is your preferred way to eat it?

I adore grapefruits!  My favorite way to eat them is simply sliced in half and eaten with a spoon, although lately we've been coming up with creative ways to incorporate them into ev-ery-thing:  sliced on top of salads, pureed into smoothies and juiced for salad vinaigrette.

Is there ever a wrong season for pumpkin cake?

I thought it might be a bad idea to bake a pumpkin cake in the spring time.  I was wrong, so very wrong.  I would eat this cake any time of the year.


I told B I wanted to send him to work with a bundt cake (as you can imagine, I really had to twist his arm to agree to that).  Sometimes a girl just feels like baking and a bundt cake would be perfect because it feeds a lot of people (all the marines he works with), travels easily (I have a round cake-carrier) and you don't have to worry about spending lots of time decorating it to get the perfect finished look.  It's just a casual, simple dessert.  


I gave him a few options to choose from and surprisingly he picked the pumpkin bundt.  I say surprisingly because it's March and I usually think of pumpkin as being a fall or winter flavor.  But we had a few cans of pumpkin puree in the cupboard (I hoarded about 4 or 5 cans last holiday season because I had heard there was a shortage) so all I had to do was look for the perfect recipe.  Well, I will save you the trouble of looking for the perfect pumpkin bundt recipe because I found it.  Moist and tender crumb, a sweet and buttery streusel layer and the perfect amount of spice.  


Enjoy.  Any time of the year.


Pumpkin Bundt with Brown Sugar Streusel Swirl
Adapted from Libby's website

Streusel:

1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
2 teaspoons butter

Cake: 

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon 
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
4 large eggs, room temp
1 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)
8 oz or 1 cup fat-free plain greek yogurt (I used Fage)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract


Glaze:


2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons milk

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Prep 12-cup Bundt pan:  spray with non-stick cooking spray and flour pan, tipping to coat all sides.
2. Make streusel by cutting the butter into the spices and brown sugar.  Set aside.
3. For the cake:  Whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in a bowl.
4. Cream sugar and butter together until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes with the paddle attachment).
5. Add eggs one at a time, scraping down sides of bowl.
6. Add pumpkin, greek yogurt and vanilla.
7. With mixer on low, add in flour mixture until just combined.
8. Spoon half batter into pan.
9. Top with streusel mixture being careful not to let the streusel touch the sides of the pan.
10. Top with the rest of the batter.
11. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes (depending on your oven) until toothpick or skewer comes out clean. 
12. Cool for 30 minutes in pan, then depan and cool completely.
13. Before cake is completely cool make your glaze - whisk powdered sugar and milk together.  Drizzle over slightly warm cake.


The glaze hardens slightly once fully cool.  The cake will be moist for days and days.  

Please excuse the AWFUL picture!  It was pouring rain the day I made the cake so there was NO natural light in the kitchen.  You can see the yummy streusel layer running through the center of the cake.  

Is there ever a wrong season for pumpkin cake?

I thought it might be a bad idea to bake a pumpkin cake in the spring time.  I was wrong, so very wrong.  I would eat this cake any time of the year.


I told B I wanted to send him to work with a bundt cake (as you can imagine, I really had to twist his arm to agree to that).  Sometimes a girl just feels like baking and a bundt cake would be perfect because it feeds a lot of people (all the marines he works with), travels easily (I have a round cake-carrier) and you don't have to worry about spending lots of time decorating it to get the perfect finished look.  It's just a casual, simple dessert.  


I gave him a few options to choose from and surprisingly he picked the pumpkin bundt.  I say surprisingly because it's March and I usually think of pumpkin as being a fall or winter flavor.  But we had a few cans of pumpkin puree in the cupboard (I hoarded about 4 or 5 cans last holiday season because I had heard there was a shortage) so all I had to do was look for the perfect recipe.  Well, I will save you the trouble of looking for the perfect pumpkin bundt recipe because I found it.  Moist and tender crumb, a sweet and buttery streusel layer and the perfect amount of spice.  


Enjoy.  Any time of the year.


Pumpkin Bundt with Brown Sugar Streusel Swirl
Adapted from Libby's website

Streusel:

1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
2 teaspoons butter

Cake: 

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon 
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
4 large eggs, room temp
1 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)
8 oz or 1 cup fat-free plain greek yogurt (I used Fage)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract


Glaze:


2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons milk

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Prep 12-cup Bundt pan:  spray with non-stick cooking spray and flour pan, tipping to coat all sides.
2. Make streusel by cutting the butter into the spices and brown sugar.  Set aside.
3. For the cake:  Whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in a bowl.
4. Cream sugar and butter together until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes with the paddle attachment).
5. Add eggs one at a time, scraping down sides of bowl.
6. Add pumpkin, greek yogurt and vanilla.
7. With mixer on low, add in flour mixture until just combined.
8. Spoon half batter into pan.
9. Top with streusel mixture being careful not to let the streusel touch the sides of the pan.
10. Top with the rest of the batter.
11. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes (depending on your oven) until toothpick or skewer comes out clean. 
12. Cool for 30 minutes in pan, then depan and cool completely.
13. Before cake is completely cool make your glaze - whisk powdered sugar and milk together.  Drizzle over slightly warm cake.


The glaze hardens slightly once fully cool.  The cake will be moist for days and days.  

Please excuse the AWFUL picture!  It was pouring rain the day I made the cake so there was NO natural light in the kitchen.  You can see the yummy streusel layer running through the center of the cake.  

Blueberry Baked Bliss

If I haven't mentioned it before, I absolutely *LOVE* Ina Garten, aka The Barefoot Contessa. I've made a number of her recipes and I cannot think of a single one that didn't turn out beautifully. We enjoyed her Banana Sour Cream Pancakes for breakfast and her Panna Cotta with Balsamic Strawberries for dessert. Her Lemon Yogurt Cake is light, tart and perfectly citrusy and the Blueberry Sauce is perfect as an accompaniment to the cake as well as any number of different baked goods (pancakes, cheesecake, ice cream, etc.).

The most impressive thing to me about Ina is her versatility (and yes, I usually refer to her as Ina as though we are on a first name basis). Not only are her desserts excellent but I've been equally as happy with the results of her lunch and dinner recipes. I consider her Greek Salad Dressing a stand-by, and I have frequently used her Mustard Chicken Salad recipe with leftover roasted chicken (using her method for roasting the chicken, of course!!) I've also made Ina's Tomato and Goat Cheese Tarts with rave reviews from everyone who has tasted them.

I can honestly say these are just a FEW of the many Barefoot Contessa recipes that I have made and enjoyed. Well a few days ago I had a craving for a blueberry dessert and remembered that I had bookmarked a recipe for Blueberry Crumb Cake by none other than my favorite queen of the kitchen, Ina Garten. I had all of the ingredients on hand so I immediately set about to baking and let me tell you, I have no regrets in spite of the messy kitchen I was left to clean up afterwards :) AND Bonus: Blueberries are perfectly in-season right now and so not only are they readily available in every market and grocery store but they're inexpensive too! YAY for saving money!

The cake smelled amazing as it was baking in the oven and when I served it for dessert last night both B and I HAD to have seconds. I'm not exaggerating. It is very much a breakfast or brunch cake but we couldn't wait for breakfast! I especially enjoyed the hint of cinnamon and nutmeg and the note of lemon, and found the dense crumb just perfect for this dessert. I should say that I doubled the amount of lemon zest that the recipe called for and substituted some non-fat greek yogurt for half of the sour cream (and used light sour cream for the other half). I also substituted some light brown sugar for the white sugar in the cake, just because I could :) (You can find my adapted version of the recipe below and the original recipe via Food Network)

When I was making and assembling it, I thought there was too much streusel topping and I certainly think the cake would have been delicious with even half that was called-for, but I like streusel so the abundance did not bother me in the least :)

Next time you've got a container of blueberries sitting in your fridge and you're trying to think of something to serve for breakfast, brunch or dessert I hope you'll try this cake. I don't think you'll regret it!

mise en place

Blueberry Crumb Cake

adapted from The Barefoot Contessa

For the streusel:
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

For the cake:

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature (3/4 stick)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/3 cup light sour cream
1/3 cup nonfat greek yogurt
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 heaping cup fresh blueberries
Confectioners' sugar for sprinkling (optional, I omitted)


Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9-inch round baking pan or 8x8 square pan.

For the streusel:
Combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a bowl. Stir in the melted butter and then the flour. Mix well and set aside.

For the cake:
Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on high speed for 4 to 5 minutes, until light. Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla, lemon zest, and sour cream/yogurt. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Take 1 tablespoon of the flour mixture and toss with the blueberries (this helps them not sink to the bottom of the pan during baking. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the batter until just combined. Fold in half of the blueberries and stir with a spatula to be sure the batter is completely mixed.
Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and spread it out with a knife. Scatter the reserved blueberries evenly over the top of the batter. With your fingers, crumble the topping evenly over the batter. Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool completely and serve sprinkled with confectioners' sugar if desired.

streusel topping before being put onto the cake batter

the finished product

Blueberry Baked Bliss

If I haven't mentioned it before, I absolutely *LOVE* Ina Garten, aka The Barefoot Contessa. I've made a number of her recipes and I cannot think of a single one that didn't turn out beautifully. We enjoyed her Banana Sour Cream Pancakes for breakfast and her Panna Cotta with Balsamic Strawberries for dessert. Her Lemon Yogurt Cake is light, tart and perfectly citrusy and the Blueberry Sauce is perfect as an accompaniment to the cake as well as any number of different baked goods (pancakes, cheesecake, ice cream, etc.).

The most impressive thing to me about Ina is her versatility (and yes, I usually refer to her as Ina as though we are on a first name basis). Not only are her desserts excellent but I've been equally as happy with the results of her lunch and dinner recipes. I consider her Greek Salad Dressing a stand-by, and I have frequently used her Mustard Chicken Salad recipe with leftover roasted chicken (using her method for roasting the chicken, of course!!) I've also made Ina's Tomato and Goat Cheese Tarts with rave reviews from everyone who has tasted them.

I can honestly say these are just a FEW of the many Barefoot Contessa recipes that I have made and enjoyed. Well a few days ago I had a craving for a blueberry dessert and remembered that I had bookmarked a recipe for Blueberry Crumb Cake by none other than my favorite queen of the kitchen, Ina Garten. I had all of the ingredients on hand so I immediately set about to baking and let me tell you, I have no regrets in spite of the messy kitchen I was left to clean up afterwards :) AND Bonus: Blueberries are perfectly in-season right now and so not only are they readily available in every market and grocery store but they're inexpensive too! YAY for saving money!

The cake smelled amazing as it was baking in the oven and when I served it for dessert last night both B and I HAD to have seconds. I'm not exaggerating. It is very much a breakfast or brunch cake but we couldn't wait for breakfast! I especially enjoyed the hint of cinnamon and nutmeg and the note of lemon, and found the dense crumb just perfect for this dessert. I should say that I doubled the amount of lemon zest that the recipe called for and substituted some non-fat greek yogurt for half of the sour cream (and used light sour cream for the other half). I also substituted some light brown sugar for the white sugar in the cake, just because I could :) (You can find my adapted version of the recipe below and the original recipe via Food Network)

When I was making and assembling it, I thought there was too much streusel topping and I certainly think the cake would have been delicious with even half that was called-for, but I like streusel so the abundance did not bother me in the least :)

Next time you've got a container of blueberries sitting in your fridge and you're trying to think of something to serve for breakfast, brunch or dessert I hope you'll try this cake. I don't think you'll regret it!

mise en place

Blueberry Crumb Cake

adapted from The Barefoot Contessa

For the streusel:
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

For the cake:

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature (3/4 stick)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/3 cup light sour cream
1/3 cup nonfat greek yogurt
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 heaping cup fresh blueberries
Confectioners' sugar for sprinkling (optional, I omitted)


Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9-inch round baking pan or 8x8 square pan.

For the streusel:
Combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a bowl. Stir in the melted butter and then the flour. Mix well and set aside.

For the cake:
Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on high speed for 4 to 5 minutes, until light. Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla, lemon zest, and sour cream/yogurt. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Take 1 tablespoon of the flour mixture and toss with the blueberries (this helps them not sink to the bottom of the pan during baking. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the batter until just combined. Fold in half of the blueberries and stir with a spatula to be sure the batter is completely mixed.
Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and spread it out with a knife. Scatter the reserved blueberries evenly over the top of the batter. With your fingers, crumble the topping evenly over the batter. Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool completely and serve sprinkled with confectioners' sugar if desired.

streusel topping before being put onto the cake batter

the finished product

Vintage Desserts

I like to watch the Today Show in the morning. Really, I should clarify - I like to watch the first hour or two of the Today Show. After that, it just devolves into an excess of wine-drinking and celebrity gossip. Now, I like celeb gossip just as much as the next gal but that's why I follow certain fine "news" outlets religiously (i.e. PopSugar, TMZ, People, to name a few). But I digress....

Anyhow, this morning the Today Show featured a segment on these old-fashioned desserts. I'm all about bringing back vintage treats (remember my recent experience baking pigs in a blanket?) so this really piqued my interest, especially the recipe for Chocolate Blackout Cake.

Photo from Cooks Illustrated

When I try it, I'll be sure to post how it turns out!

Vintage Desserts

I like to watch the Today Show in the morning. Really, I should clarify - I like to watch the first hour or two of the Today Show. After that, it just devolves into an excess of wine-drinking and celebrity gossip. Now, I like celeb gossip just as much as the next gal but that's why I follow certain fine "news" outlets religiously (i.e. PopSugar, TMZ, People, to name a few). But I digress....

Anyhow, this morning the Today Show featured a segment on these old-fashioned desserts. I'm all about bringing back vintage treats (remember my recent experience baking pigs in a blanket?) so this really piqued my interest, especially the recipe for Chocolate Blackout Cake.

Photo from Cooks Illustrated

When I try it, I'll be sure to post how it turns out!