I’m always interested in learning more about what makes baking work. Sure, there’s the chemistry behind a recipe that can render a moist cake or one that is as dry as toast. But there are other things besides ingredients that can make a big difference in your baking. I found some handy baking information in one of my books called How To Break An Egg by the fine folks at Fine Cooking Magazine.

Glass vs. Metal Baking Pans: Your Choice Affects Cooking Times and Crustiness
-from How To Break An Egg: 1,453 Kitchen Tips, Food Fixes, Emergency Substitutions, and Handy Techniques by Fine Cooking Magazine

Size isn’t the only thing that counts when choosing a pan from the many in your cupboard. The material it’s made of will affect both the baking time and the color of your breads, pies, cakes, and brownies.

Glass pans give food a darker, browner crust, so they’re generally best for breads and pies, which benefit from a deeply baked exterior. Because of the way glass transfers heat in the oven, it will bake both faster and darker than most metal pans (the exceptions are very dark, heavy-gauge metal pans, like the black steel pans used in professional kitchens. These intense heat conductors cook quickly and will also turn out appealing, dark crusts).

Lighter colored pans give you a paler crust, which is what you want with delicate cakes and brownies. Light-colored aluminum and shiny stainless-steel pans reflect more heat than glass and dark metal pans. This may mean your baked goods will need a bit more time to finish cooking, but it also means the sugar and chocolate in these pastries won’t be as likely to burn.

Avoid flimsy metal pans, which often bake unevenly and tend to warp at high temperatures.

Tags: Baking, glass vs. metal baking pans, Handy Hints

This classic recipe for German Chocolate Cake is special in Husband’s family because his mom used to make it for the family when they were growing up.  I chose to make this extremely moist and delicious cake for Father-in-law’s birthday celebration this weekend because I knew it would bring back fond memories of his beloved wife. With a smile, he took his first bite then told me it tasted just like hers. What better compliment is there?

Sure, I’ve seen recipes for updated versions of this cake, but the original recipe—the one printed on boxes of Baker’s brand German’s Sweet Chocolate—is the one I make for my family. The cake has nothing to do with Germany but was named after the man, Samuel German, who developed a type of baking chocolate for Baker’s Chocolate Company.

The recipe calls for baking the batter in three 9″ round cake pans but I made it in a 10″x15″ glass pan. It took longer to bake (approximately 50 minutes…give or take). For the frosting, make sure you buy evaporated milk not sweetened condensed milk (they are very different products).  The recipe calls for a 7-ounce bag of coconut but I’ve only seen the 14-ounce size…just measure out the needed 2-2/3 cups and you’re good to go. Enjoy!

Original BAKER’S GERMAN’S Sweet Chocolate Cake
-recipe from Baker’s Chocolate Company

1 pkg. (4 oz.) BAKER’S GERMAN’S Sweet Chocolate
1/2 cup  water
4 eggs, separated
2 cups  flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp.  salt
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups  sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup  buttermilk
Coconut-Pecan Filling and Frosting (recipe below)

HEAT oven to 350°F.

COVER bottoms of 3 (9-inch) round pans with waxed paper; spray sides with cooking spray. Microwave chocolate and water in large microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1-1/2 to 2 min. or until chocolate is almost melted, stirring after 1 min. Stir until chocolate is completely melted.

BEAT egg whites in small bowl with mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form; set aside. Mix flour, baking soda and salt. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating well after each. Blend in melted chocolate and vanilla. Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating until well blended after each addition.

ADD egg whites; stir gently until well blended. Pour into prepared pans.

BAKE 30 min. or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Immediately run small spatula around cakes in pans. Cool cakes in pans 15 min.; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Spread Coconut-Pecan Filling and Frosting between cake layers and onto top of cake.

Substitute: If you don’t have buttermilk, just add 1 Tbsp. lemon juice or vinegar to 1 cup milk; let stand 10 min.
Note: This delicate cake will have a flat slightly sugary top crust which tends to crack. The frosting will cover up these cracks.

Coconut-Pecan Filling and Frosting   
4 egg yolks
1 can  (12 oz.) evaporated milk
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla
1-1/2 cups  sugar
3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) butter or margarine
1 pkg.  (7 oz.) BAKER’S ANGEL FLAKE Coconut (about 2-2/3 cups)
1-1/2 cups PLANTERS Chopped Pecans

BEAT egg yolks, milk and vanilla in large saucepan with wire whisk until well blended. Add sugar and butter; cook on medium heat 12 min. or until thickened and golden brown, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

ADD coconut and pecans; mix well. Cool to room temperature and of desired spreading consistency.

USE to frost your favorite cake or cupcake recipe.

Note: Makes enough to frost top and sides of 3 (8- or 9-inch) cake layers, tops of 2 (13×9-inch) cakes or 36 cupcakes.

Tags: Baker's German's Sweet Chocolate, Baking, cake, chocolate, Dessert, German Chocolate Cake, German's Sweet Chocolate Cake

This Chocolate Stout Cake is moist, rich and very chocolatey. Need I say more?

For some reason, some of the cake stuck to the pan when I unmolded it (probably user error because that didn’t happen last time I made it). Husband, however, had a cunning plan. He joked that I should spackle it together. We had a good laugh but then I took his advice and stuck the loose cake chunks back on the cake. The cake is moist enough so it worked. I then covered the newly spackled cake with the ganache. See…chocolate fixes everything! 

Chocolate Stout Cake
-recipe from Fine Cooking Magazine

Rich, dark, and toasty stout beer plus deeply flavored molasses give the chocolate flavor of this cake some wonderful nuance. With this recipe, you can bake one big beautiful cake, perfect for entertaining, or a dozen irresistible miniature bundt cakes, perfect for gift giving.

Yields 1 large bundt cake or 12 miniature bundt cakes.

For the cake
1-1/4 cups stout, such as Guinness (don’t include the foam when measuring)
1/3 cup dark molasses (not blackstrap)
7-1/2 oz. (1-2/3 cups) all-purpose flour
2-1/4 oz. (3/4 cup) unsweetened natural cocoa powder (not Dutch-processed); more for the pan
1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
10 oz. (1-1/4 cups) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature; more for the pan
1-1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
6 oz. semisweet chocolate, very finely chopped

For the glaze: (optional)
3/4 cup heavy cream
6 oz. semisweet chocolate

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350ºF. Butter a 10- or 12-cup bundt pan (or twelve 1-cup mini bundt pans) and then lightly coat with sifted cocoa powder. Tap out any excess cocoa.

In a small saucepan over high heat, bring the stout and molasses to a simmer. Remove the pan from the heat and let stand while preparing the cake batter.

Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With a stand mixer (use the paddle attachment) or a hand mixer, cream the butter in a large bowl on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the brown sugar and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Stop to scrape the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the eggs one at a time, stopping to scrape the bowl after each addition. With the mixer on low speed, alternate adding the flour and stout mixtures, beginning and ending with the flour. Stop the mixer at least one last time to scrape the bowl and then beat at medium speed until the batter is smooth, about 20 seconds. Stir in the chopped chocolate.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan (or pans), spreading it evenly with a rubber spatula. Run a knife through the batter to eliminate any air pockets. Bake until a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out with only a few moist crumbs clinging to it, 45 to 50 minutes (about 35 minutes for mini cakes). Set the pan on a rack to cool for 20 minutes. Invert the cake onto the rack and remove the pan. Let cool until just barely warm.

Make the glaze, if using:
Bring the cream to a boil in a small saucepan over high heat. Remove the pan from the heat and add the chocolate. Let stand for 1 minute and then whisk until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Let cool for 5 minutes.

Drizzle the barely warm cake with glaze and then let cool to room temperature before serving.

Make Ahead Tips:
Wrapped tightly in plastic, the cake keeps for up to a week, or you can freeze it for up to a month. If you’re making the cake ahead, wrap it while still barely warm without the glaze. If you plan to freeze the cake, don’t glaze it until you’re ready to serve it or give it away.

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Tags: Baking, cake, chocolate stout cake, Dessert, Guinness stout, St. Patrick's Day

One of my weaknesses is a good, chewy chocolate chip cookie. It’s like my kryptonite. I’m not proud of it, but I’m pretty much defenseless around them, which is why I don’t make chocolate chip cookies very often. Recently, though, I was thumbing through the Grand Central Baking Book (from the popular Grand Central Bakery located in Portland and Seattle ) and saw the recipe for their delicious Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies. “Oh yeah,” I thought, “I’m totally making these!” And, boy, do these chewy, chocolate-studded treats rock!

I’ve used a combo of semisweet and milk chocolate chips or all semi-sweet chocolate chips. Use what you have and/or like. My personal favorite is Guittard brand chocolate chips (creamy, smooth and absolutely delicious!).

My oven is goofy so I always have to play with the baking time a bit. Just watch for the cookies to have golden edges…the inside will still look a bit underdone. Let the cookies cool for a few minutes then pour a cold glass of milk and devour!

What’s your food kryptonite?

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
-recipe from The Grand Central Baking Book by Piper Davis and Ellen Jackson

2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (8 ounces, or 2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup (7 ounces) granulated sugar
1 cup (7 ounces) packed light brown sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups (9 ounces) rolled oats (old-fashioned oats)
1 cup (6 ounces) bittersweet chocolate chips or chunks
1 cup (6 ounces) milk chocolate chips or chunks

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Measure the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a bowl and whisk to combine. (Put the dry ingredients through a fine-mesh sieve if the flour or baking soda is clumpy.)

Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar on medium speed for 3 to 5 minutes, until lighter in color and fluffy. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl several times during the process.

While the mixer is running, crack the eggs into a liquid measuring cup and add the vanilla. Reduce the speed to low, then slowly pour in the eggs, letting them fall in one at a time incorporating the first egg completely before adding the next. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl once during the process.

Gradually add the dry ingredients (in 2 to 3 additions) with the mixer on low speed. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl once, to fully incorporate the butter and sugar. Combine the oats and chocolate in the same bowl used for the dry ingredients, then add them to the dough with the mixer on low speed, mixing just until everything is well distributed. Often it’s easier to finish mixing by hand using a stiff rubber spatula.

Scoop the dough into balls the size of ping-pong balls (about 1.5 ounces). Arrange the dough balls on the prepared pans, 6 per pan, then press into 1/2-inch-thick disks.

Bake for 10 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through the baking time. The edges of the cookies should be golden brown, while the centers will appear blond and slightly underdone. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets.

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Tags: Baking, chocolate chips, cookies, desserts, Grand Central Bakery, Grand Central Baking Book, oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, rolled oats

Everyone needs an apple cake in their baking repertoire, and this recipe is excellent! The cake is super moist, velvety, slightly tangy from the cream cheese, and loaded with apples…YUMM!

The recipe calls for a 12-cup Bundt pan. My Bundt pan doesn’t say how many cups it holds but rather gives the size (9 3/4″ x 3 3/8″). It can hold 12 cups of water but it’s filled to the rim of the pan. This recipe has a bit too much batter for my pan so I spooned as much into the pan as I could without filling it to the very top (leaving some room for it to expand while baking). Any extra batter can be baked in greased and floured ramekins or muffin tins (they’ll bake in less time, of course).

If you don’t have a Bundt pan, you can use a different baking pan but your baking time will vary. Check out this link for different baking pan size equivalents. Because my oven is old and tempermental, I use the baking time in a recipe as a guideline. Sometimes the item in the oven needs less time, sometimes more time. If you use a different pan size, you’ll need to adjust the baking time.

The apple cake keeps covered at room temperature for several days. Enjoy!

Cream Cheese Apple Cake 
-recipe from The Grand Central Baking Book by Piper Davis and Ellen Jackson

Grand Central has baked this cake in every shape and size imaginable: as cupcakes with maple cream cheese frosting, in rounds baked in springform pans, as classic Bundt cakes and currently in long Pullman loaf pans. Because it stays moist for several days, this large cake is tailor-made for a long weekend with friends, providing dessert the first night and leftovers to nibble on for several days to come.  Serves 14 to 16.

3 cups (15 ounces) flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup (8 ounces, or 2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
2 1/2 cups (1 pound, 1.5 ounces) granulated sugar
4 eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 pounds tart apples (3 or 4 apples), peeled and diced into 1/2-inch chunks
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and lightly flour a 12-cup Bundt pan.

Sift the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon into a bowl.

Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, cream cheese, and sugar on medium-high speed until the mixture is very light in color –almost white–and the texture is fluffy, about 8 minutes. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl once during the process to ensure that the butter is evenly incorporated.

Crack the eggs into a liquid measuring cup and add the vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly pour in the eggs, letting them fall in one at a time and incorporating each egg completely before adding the next. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl once or twice during the process. 

With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients; stop mixing as soon as the flour is incorporated. Fold the apples in by hand using a stiff spatula, then scrape the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake for 60 to 75 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time. The cake is ready when a wooden skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let the cake cool for 15 minutes before removing it from the pan. Cool completely, then cover with a thick dusting of confectioners’ sugar.

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Tags: apples, Baking, Breakfast, bundt cake, butter, coffee cake, Cream Cheese Apple Cake, Dessert, Grand Central Bakery

These dinner rolls are soft (hence the name), delicious and super easy to make. And the house smelled heavenly as they were baking!!! I’m not exaggerating when I say that my Boys and Husband ate the entire batch in less than 2 days…okay, I had a few myself.

I used active dry yeast which took twice as long for the dough to rise (about 2 hours) but eventually it did what it was supposed to do. If you want to cut down on rising time, definitely use instant yeast. After the first rise, it’s time to divide the dough into 16 pieces. Take the blob of dough, cut in in half, then so on until you have 16 pieces of dough. I like to use my Salter Kitchen Scale to help me weigh out the dough into pieces that are roughly the same weight. Shape them into smooth balls, let the rolls rise for about an hour in a 9″x13″ pan, bake, and let your home be transformed by the delicious fragrance of homemade rolls.  Enjoy!

Soft Dinner Rolls
-recipe from kingarthurflour.com

An old favorite, these timeless rolls are always in fashion. Golden brown outside and cream-colored inside, with just a hint of sweetness, these rolls are the perfect vehicle for a melting pat of butter, and a wonderful accompaniment to everything from soup and salad to meat and potatoes.

2 1/2 teaspoons regular instant yeast or active dry yeast*
3 tablespoons sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
3 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/4 cup potato flour OR dried potato flakes
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon lukewarm water (potato water, if you have any saved)
3/4 cup lukewarm milk
3 tablespoons butter, softened or melted

*The recipe directions are written for instant yeast; to use active dry yeast, dissolve it in the water first. Also, be aware that your rising times will be longer.

To make dough by hand or mixer: In a large bowl, whisk together the yeast, sugar, salt, flour and potato flour or potato flakes. Add the water, milk and butter, and mix until cohesive. Knead the dough on a lightly oiled surface till it’s smooth and supple. Add flour if you must, but the dough will continue to absorb liquid as you knead, so try to knead for 5 minutes or so before adding any additional flour. Remember, the more flour in the dough, the heavier and dryer the rolls will be.

Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and set the dough aside to rise till doubled in bulk, 1 to 2 hours, depending on the warmth of your kitchen.

To make dough in a bread machine: Place all of the ingredients into the pan of your bread machine, program the machine for Manual or Dough, and press Start. Assess the dough about 10 minutes before the end of the second kneading cycle; add additional water or flour as necessary to produce a smooth, supple, somewhat soft dough.

To complete the rolls: Divide the dough into 16 pieces. Shape each piece into a smooth ball. Lightly grease two 9-inch round cake pans, or a 9 x 13-inch pan. Space the rolls in the pan(s), cover them with lightly greased plastic wrap, and allow them to rise for about 1 hour, till they’re very puffy and are touching one another.

Bake the rolls in a preheated 350°F oven for 20 to 22 minutes, or until they’re golden brown. Remove them from the oven, set them on a wire rack to cool, and brush them with melted butter or margarine, if desired. This will give the rolls a soft crust. Serve the rolls warm, or store them in an airtight container. Yield: 16 rolls.

Tags: Baking, bread, dinner rolls, flour, potato flakes, white rolls, yeast

In honor of today (November 15) being National Bundt Cake Day, I’m reposting a few delicious bundt cake recipes that are perfect for the upcoming holidays.

And of course, to make a bundt cake, you have to have a bundt cake pan. I love my Nordic Ware Bundt Cake Pan. The pan is heavy duty and has a nonstick finish…it’s awesome! I actually have two of them because I make so many bundt cakes (often times multiple cakes for the same event). If you don’t have a bundt cake pan, are in need of a new one or are looking for a fun gift idea for a baker, you can’t go wrong with a Nordic Ware pan! Every kitchen should have one!! As a side note, Nordic Ware is the company that introduced the bundt cake (and the pan needed to bake it) back in the 1950s.

I believe the world is a happier place because of bundt cakes! Enjoy!

Pumpkin & Ginger Poundcake: This bundt cake is a perfect alternative to pumpkin pie!

Pear Spice Cake: Loaded with pears and warm spices, this simple bundt cake is an Autumn favorite of ours.

Cranberry-Almond Coffee Cake: Great as a coffee cake or dessert, this bundt cake is a perfect use for leftover cranberry sauce.

Tags: Baking, bundt cake, bundt cake pan, coffee cake, Cranberry-Almond Coffee Cake, Dessert, holiday cakes, National Bundt Cake Day, Nordic Ware, Pear Spice Cake, Pumpkin & Ginger Poundcake

To me, fresh apple cake is the epitome of autumn! A friend gave me a bag of apples from her backyard tree recently so, of course, I had to find something new and delicious to make with them. What I settled on was this recipe for Old-Fashioned Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Frosting. It’s moist, delicious, super easy to make and loaded with appley goodness. 

I made a few slight changes to the recipe but nothing drastic. For the cake, I decreased the sugar from 2 cups to 1-1/2 cups, which was perfect because the brown sugar frosting adds sweetness, too. Also, I substituted 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg and 1/4 teaspoon allspice for the 1-1/2 teaspoons apple pie spice, and added a splash of vanilla to the cake batter. I chose not to use nuts, although chopped pecans would be a good addition. I thought the cake was actually better the day after it was made so I encourage you to make it a day before you plan to serve it. Enjoy!

 Old-Fashioned Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Frosting 
-recipe from King Arthur Flour

This cake is an old, old favorite of ours. It’s a cake where the whole is definitely more than the sum of the parts. The moist, semi-chunky cake, spread with the frosting equivalent of brown sugar fudge, is perfect served with a cup of coffee or, better still, a glass of ice-cold milk.

Cake
2 1/3 cups (9 3/4 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
2 cups (14 ounces) granulated sugar (I used 1-1/2 cups)
2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons apple pie spice (I used 1 tsp. cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. nutmeg, 1 tsp. allspice)
2 large eggs
1/2 cup (3 1/4 ounces) vegetable shortening (trans-fat free)
4 cups (12 ounces) peeled, chopped apples (about 1 pound before peeling)
1 cup (4 ounces) walnuts, chopped

Brown Sugar Frosting
5 tablespoons (2 1/2 ounces) unsalted butter
1/2 cup (3 1/4 ounces) firmly packed brown sugar (light or dark)
3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) milk
1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) confectioners’ sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Cake: Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease and flour a 9 x 13-inch pan.

Mix all of the ingredients except the apples and walnuts in a large bowl. Beat until well combined; the mixture will be crumbly. Add the apples and walnuts, and mix until the apples release some of their juice and the crumbly mixture becomes a thick batter, somewhere between cookie dough and brownie batter in consistency.

Spread the batter in the prepared pan, smoothing it with your wet fingers. Bake the cake for 45 minutes, or until the cake tests done. Remove from the oven and place on a rack, to cool completely; don’t remove the cake from pan. When the cake is completely cool, frost with Brown Sugar Frosting.

Frosting: Melt the butter in a small pan over medium heat. Stir in the brown sugar and cook, stirring, until the sugar melts. Add the milk, bring to a boil, and pour into a mixing bowl to cool for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, stir in the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla. Beat well; if the mixture appears too thin, add more confectioners’ sugar. Spread on the cake while frosting is still warm.

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Tags: allspice, autumn, Baking, brown sugar frosting, cake, cinnamon, Dessert, fall, fresh apple cake, nutmeg, potluck

Blueberries and lemon…I love the flavor combination! This easy-to-make cake highlights this beautiful summer berry in a delicious way! The addition of cornmeal adds a little texture without making the cake heavy or gritty. I took the Blueberry-Lemon Cornmeal Cake to a recent dinner gathering along with a Raspberry-Peach Cake. I guess our friends liked the cakes because there weren’t any pieces left for me to bring home (always a good sign!). I served both cakes with lightly sweetened freshly whipped cream. Delicious!

The recipe calls for finely ground yellow cornmeal, which I couldn’t find so I used Albers Yellow Corn Meal. The box of Albers doesn’t state what grind it is (fine, medium, etc.) but it seemed to be on the finer side so I went with it. The Albers cornmeal worked great.

The recipe also calls for tossing the blueberries with flour and sugar before sprinkling them over the batter. After the cake baked, however, some of the blueberries still had some flour on them. Partially white blueberries was not the look I was going for so I decided to make a quick lemon glaze to brush over the warm cake. I squeezed the juice from half a lemon into a small bowl and added enough sugar (a few tablespoons) until the lemon-sugar mixture was pleasantly sweet-tart. I then added a teaspoon or so of water and microwaved the mixture for a minute or so until the sugar dissolved. Give the syrup a stir then microwave for approximately 30 more seconds if you still see some sugar granules. Keep doing this until you have a clear syrup. Once the lemon syrup was ready, I brushed the cake and the whitish berries to “hide” any spots of flour left on them. My little trick worked like a charm! The syrup masked any leftover flour coating and added an extra hit of lemon flavor to the cake. Sweet!

Blueberry-Lemon Cornmeal Cake
-recipe from Fine Cooking Magazine

The combination of cornmeal and buttermilk offers both texture and tang. Serves eight to ten.

6 oz. (1-1/3 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour; more for the pan
1/4 cup (1-1/2 ounces) finely ground yellow cornmeal
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. table salt
3 oz. (6 Tbs.) unsalted butter, at room temperature; more for the pan
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
2 large eggs
1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup buttermilk

For the topping:
1 cup (about 5 oz.) fresh blueberries, rinsed and well dried
1 Tbs. granulated sugar
1 Tbs. unbleached all-purpose flour

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350° F. Lightly butter a 9×2-inch round cake pan. Line the bottom with a parchment round cut to fit the pan, lightly flour the sides, and tap out the excess.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well blended. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter, sugar, and lemon zest on medium high until well blended and fluffy, about 3 min. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating on medium speed until just blended and adding the lemon juice with the second egg (the batter will appear curdled; don’t worry). Using a wide rubber  spatula, fold in half the dry ingredients, then the buttermilk, and then the remaining dry ingredients. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake for 15 min.

Meanwhile, make the topping.
Combine the blueberries, sugar, and flour in a small bowl. Using a table fork, mix the ingredients, lightly crushing the blueberries and evenly coating them with the flour and sugar. After the cake has baked for 15 min., slide the oven rack out and quickly scatter the blueberries evenly over the top of the cake (discard any flour and sugar that doesn’t adhere to the berries). Continue baking until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, another 23 to 25 min.

Let the cake cool on a rack for 15 min. Run a knife around the inside edge of the pan. Using a dry dishtowel to protect your hands, lay a rack on top of the cake pan and, holding onto both rack and pan, and invert the cake. Lift the pan from the cake. Peel away the parchment. Lay a flat serving plate on the bottom of the cake and flip the cake one more time so that the blueberries are on top. Serve warm or at room temperature.

From Fine Cooking 80, pp. 69
September 1, 2006

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Tags: Baking, blueberries, butter, buttermilk, cornmeal, lemon

I love muffins, and I’m always trying to find new and delicious ways to whip up a batch of these easy-to-make treats. The house smelled so good while these Sweet Peach Muffins were baking! The recipe says to eat them 5 minutes after they come out of the oven. I tried that and burned my fingers on molten chunks of peach. I suggest waiting a bit longer for the muffins to cool, especially if kids will be enjoying them. One of my kids even inhaled two of the muffins in one sitting.  The combination of perfectly ripe peaches, warm spices and the streusel topping is delicious!

I skipped the walnuts in the streusel topping because I’m not a fan of walnuts. Pecans would be a great substitute but I chose to forgo the nuts because I thought the kids would like the muffins best without them. Either way, the streusel topping is tasty. This recipe is versatile and can be used with a variety of fruits depending on season. I haven’t tried any of the other versions, but I’m looking forward to trying the muffins with pears and apples in the Fall. Yumm!

Sweet Peach Muffins with Brown Sugar-Walnut Streusel Topping
-recipe from The Foster’s Market Cookbook by Sara Foster with Sarah Belk King

These are best when peaches are at their summer peak, although they’re good made with frozen peaches, too. The streusel topping can be made in advance. These muffins are best eaten warm. Variations: Almost any fresh or frozen fruit (except for very soft fruits like bananas, papaya, or mango) can be substituted for the peaches. Try blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, or strawberries. In autumn, try chopped fresh apples or chipped pears.

Makes large 12 muffins.

Brown Sugar-Walnut Streusel Topping:
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped walnuts
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

Muffin Batter:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1 tablespoon dark rum or pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups peeled, pitted, chopped peaches

For the topping: Combine the walnuts, flour, brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Add the butter and mix until well blended. Set aside or refrigerate in an airtight container until ready to use.

For the muffins: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line 12 large muffin cups with paper liners and spray the top part of the pan lightly with nonstick spray.

Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, and salt in a large bowl and set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, butter, sour cream and rum or vanilla until well blended. Fold in the peaches.

Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just moist and blended. Do not overmix.

Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin pan with a large ice cream scoop (1/3-cup scoop). The batter will come to the top of the paper liner or pan. Sprinkle with the Brown Sugar-Walnut Streusel Topping and lightly press the topping into the muffin batter.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until the tops of the muffins spring back when lightly pressed and a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes clean. Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes. Turn the muffins out of the pan, and serve immediately.

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Tags: Baking, Breakfast, brown sugar, cinnamon, Foster's Market, Muffins, peach, Sara Foster, streusel