Easy Breezy (and delicious) Upside Down Cherry Cake

June 14, 2012 by Leave a Comment

 

Cherry Upside Down Cake.

The batter gets this amazing golden crust during baking and the sugar/cinnamon topping maintains a certain textural balance by melting into the batter in some places and not doing so in others.

This recipe really is so easy, it’s almost impressive.  I have adapted the batter from an Ina Garten recipe and Ina does what she does best which is to create great flavors with relatively few ingredients.  So easy a caveman could do it! (sorry…I couldn’t resist saying that).

However, where I modified the recipe made alot of difference for me.    Her recipe calls for a granny apple and cranberry pie-like filling.  For my taste, the filling was too tart so I made a substitution with cherry pie filling and I think it tastes much better.  Truthfully, you can use any fruit pie filling because they are all complimented by the delicious batter.  My mother’s favorite is blackberry…so I always stock up when it is in season.

Now, if you are a purist…you can make homemade cherry pie filling.  I used canned filling because I quite like the taste of it and when I am entertaining and can find a way to make my life easier after all the shopping, cooking and cleaning…I am taking that route.

It is an every day favorite or just perfect for the holidays…either way, it is a sure fire EASY crowd pleaser.  Enjoy!

All American Easy Upside Down Cherry Cake

  • 2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 can of pie fruit filling of your choice or home made pie filling of your choice

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs on medium-high speed for 2 minutes. With the mixer on medium, add 1 cup of the granulated sugar, the butter, vanilla, and sour cream and beat just until combined. On low speed, slowly add the flour and salt.

Pour the pie filling evenly into a 10-inch glass pie plate. Pour the batter over the fruit, covering it completely. Combine the remaining 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar and 1/8 teaspoon of cinnamon and sprinkle it over the batter. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean and the fruit is bubbling around the edges. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Delicate Crust on Top with Light and Airy Cake Batter Below.

The cake batter is truly amazing.  It develops this thin, delicate crust while baking and with the cinnamon and sugar on top, it is heavenly tasting all while the cake itself is flavorful and airy.

Amazing Taste.

You can see here that the crust is slightly flaky which helps give it some great taste and texture.

 

 

 

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Rosemary Orange Mustard

June 5, 2012 by Leave a Comment

 

Three Favorites.

 

I love the feeling of accomplishment when you do something for yourself.  This is a DIY blog, after all:).  My latest attempt at home made is making mustard from scratch.  I never really thought about making mustard from scratch until I accidentally came across a recipe from a culinary blog.  Further mining of the Internet yielded a recipe that includes two of my favorite flavors/ingredients: rosemary and orange.

So I gave it a go.  Although the recipe calls for grinding the mustard seeds a bit more, I showed some restraint and kept them close to whole, only grinding them enough to release the flavor from the seed.  I also used only yellow mustard seeds, even though the recipe calls for both yellow and brown.  I did this to keep the heat to a minimum (brown mustard seeds have more heat than yellow).  Even with the substitution…there is still plenty of heat.

The taste is something else because each flavor (orange, rosemary, cider vinegar, white wine) is pronounced and distinctive.  However, my research suggested these flavors will mellow out after a few days and they did.  I enjoy it as a condiment and marinade of sorts when roasting proteins.  It works equally well for both, particularly the latter.

This kind of recipe is very personal and might benefit from some trial and error to get the taste and consistency the way you like it.  For me, I preferred slightly less of each liquid.  Although the mustard did congeal over a couple of days, I still found it not to be viscous enough for my sensibilities so I modified it the second time around.  Have fun and good luck!

Always,

Cindy

The Basics.

A Simple Mix.

Bail Wire Jar with Chalkboard Label.

Rustic & Homemade.

 

Here is the recipe from www.apinchof.com:

Rosemary Orange Mustard

This grainy mustard is spicy hot but great for cooking or dipping pretzels.  The flavor improves after a few days so plan accordingly.

1/4 c. of yellow mustard seeds

1/4 c. of brown mustard seeds

1 and 1/2 T. of mustard powder

1/4 c. of water

1/4 c. of cider vinegar

1/4 c. white wine

minced zest of one orange (about 1 heaping tablespooon)

juice of same orange

1/4 c. of minced rosemary

few dashes of salt, to taste

In a blender, grind the mustard seeds to the texture of cornmeal.

Transfer to a small bowl and stir in remaining ingredients.

Allow to sit at room temperature for a couple of hours.

Stir again and taste for salt, adding more if desired.

Store covered, in the refrigerator for up to a month.

Yield: 1 cup of mustard

 

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Lazy Sunday Afternoons

May 18, 2012 by 2 Comments

Lazy Sunday Treat.

If I am lucky and can manage to have a productive week, by the time Sunday gets here, I can choose to be a little lazy if I want.  The truth is that there is always something to do around the house, particularly my house.  So some porch time with some homemade Sparkling Raspberry Lemonade is just the ticket.  Recipe to follow.  Enjoy!

Mercury Glass votive holder used as a vase.

Vintage hankerchief with satin ribbon and a barrel clip to keep the flying critters away from the lemonade pitcher.

Very refreshing.

Sparkling Raspberry Lemonade

Ingredients:

  • 1 (12 ounce) package frozen unsweetened raspberries (about 3 cups)
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons grated lemon rind
  • 1 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1 (1 liter) bottle chilled sparkling water or 1 (1 liter) bottle club soda
  • ice cubes
  • fresh raspberry (optional)
  • lemon slice

Directions:

Combine frozen raspberries, sugar and 1/2 cup water in medium saucepan.

Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves and berries thaw.

Increase heat and boil 3 minutes.

Strain raspberry mixture into bowl, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible; discard solids in stainer.

Mix lemon peel into raspberry syrup in bowl.

Chill until cold.

Stir raspberry syrup, lemon juice, and sparkling water in large pitcher to blend.

Fill 6 glasses with ice cubes.

Pour raspberry lemonade into glasses.

Add fresh raspberries to each glass, if desired.

Garnish with lemon slices and serve.

 

 

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Summer’s Bounty of Blueberries

May 12, 2012 by Leave a Comment

 

Blueberry Lemon Glazed Poppy Seed Cake.

 

I love to bake.  It truly satisfies my soul.  I happened upon a delicious recipe for Glazed Lemon Blueberry Poppy Seed Bundt Cake from the pages of Cooking Light.  Now I almost hesitate to tell you it is a Cooking Light recipe because you may infer that it lacks a little flavor because it is a reduced fat recipe.  Categorically, I can’t tell you how delicious this cake is.  It is extremely moist and flavorful, it’s the perfect ending to a long day.  Enjoy!

Nature's Best.

Moist and Flavorful.

Cake:

Cooking spray

1 ½ tablespoons dry breadcrumbs

1 ¾ cups granulated sugar

¾     cup butter, softened

4      large eggs

13 ¾   ounces all-purpose flour (about 3 cups)

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 tablespoon poppy seeds

½     teaspoon baking soda

½     teaspoon salt

1 ½ cups fresh blueberries

¾     cup nonfat buttermilk

1/3  cup fresh lemon juice (about 3 lemons)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon lemon extract

Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon nonfat buttermilk

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 350°.

2. To prepare cake, coat a 12-cup Bundt pan with cooking spray; dust with breadcrumbs.

3. Combine granulated sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes). Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 4 ingredients (through salt); stir with a whisk. Add blueberries to flour mixture; toss to coat. Combine 3/4 cup buttermilk, 1/3 cup juice, and extracts. Add flour mixture and buttermilk mixture alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Pour batter into prepared pan.

4. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool pan on a wire rack 10 minutes. Remove cake from pan; cool on rack.

5. To prepare glaze, place powdered sugar in a small bowl; add 1 tablespoon buttermilk and 1 tablespoon juice, stirring with a whisk until combined. Pour glaze over warm cake; cool completely.

 

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Nature’s Rubies

April 15, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Nature's Rubies

 

Dough Crossing.

 

Kneadful Things.

 

Three smaller loaves for sharing.

 

Ready for the oven.

 

Deliciously crusty and golden.

 

Heavenly.

 

I love this recipe because it can be made on the spur of the moment because it doesn’t require the pre-softening of butter or leaving eggs out in advance.  I make one substitution to the recipe below, using craisins instead of currants.

Besides cranberries (or craisins) I love this recipe because it uses orange, one of my favorite flavors.

This is an Ina Garten recipe.  As usual, she makes great impact with few ingredients.

Enjoy!

xoxo.

Cindy, Lillie and Samantha

Orange Cranberry Irish Soda Bread

Ingredients

  • 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for currants
  • 4 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch dice
  • 1 3/4 cups cold buttermilk, shaken
  • 1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten
  • 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
  • 1 cup dried currants

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Add the butter and mix on low speed until the butter is mixed into the flour.

With a fork, lightly beat the buttermilk, egg, and orange zest together in a measuring cup.  With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture.  Combine the currants with 1 tablespoon of flour and mix into the dough.  It will be very wet.

Dump the dough onto a well-floured board and knead it a few times into a round loaf.  Place the loaf on the prepared sheet pan and lightly cut an X into the top of the bread with a serrated knife.  Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean.  When you tap the loaf, it will have a hollow sound.

Cool on a baking rack.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

 

 

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