Coffee Walnut Layer Cake

Coffee and Walnut Layer Cake

I was going to try and teach myself how to bake using metrics--I bought myself the scale and metric measuring spoons and visited British baking sites and was all gung-ho and then I backed out.  It's not my fault entirely, I swear.  I discovered that my food weighed differently when I put it in different places on the scale.  I mean just millimeters away from the center of the scale caused it to show a different weight.  This is one of those times when I needed somebody who knew exactly what they were doing to be by my side to weigh in on the subject.  So the kitchen scale sits in my cabinet.  

In my forays into British food, I began seeing multiple recipes for coffee and walnut cake.  I'm a pushover for just about mocha and walnuts anything and I fell in love with the recipes when I saw them.  Everyone raved about it and so many had said it was the choice of cake for birthdays.  This cake evoked a lot of memories for a lot of people, and I wanted this cake. I was convinced I was going to perish if I didn't have it.  But alas, there were no imperial measurements anywhere that I could find for it, and I am serious when I tell you I looked for it.

After resigning myself to a life without this, I found that Nigella Lawson had converted the recipe so I could make it too, and it was on the New York Times.  Hooray!

And yes, this cake lived up to my every expectation.  Walnuts and coffee are a love match. The cake is sweet and rather dense (due ground walnuts in the flour mix), with a pleasant coffee flavor.  I used espresso powder, but as I said I like the flavor of coffee.  You can double the frosting recipe to frost the entire cake, but the cake does not need it.  I found just frosting the middle and the top to be quite adequate without being overpoweringly sweet and decadent.

COFFEE AND WALNUT LAYER CAKE
Original recipe here on the New York Times 

For the cake:
1/2 cup walnut pieces
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 cup butter (2 sticks)
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt (reduce to 1/4 teaspoon if using salted butter)
4 large eggs

2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon instant coffee dissolved in 1 tablespoon hot water

For the frosting:
2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/8 salt (omit if using salted butter)
1 1/2 sticks butter (12 tablespoons)
1 tablespoon instant coffee dissolved in 1 tablespoon hot water

walnut halves for decoration

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Butter two 8-inch cake pans and line the bottom with parchment or waxed paper to fit the bottom. 

In the bowl of a food processor add the 1/2 cup walnut pieces and the sugar.  Process until ingredients are a fine powder.

(Original directions said to add remaining ingredients to the food processor, but I moved everything to a separate bowl and used a hand mixer at this point.)

Add the butter, flour, baking powder, salt and eggs.  

Add 2 tablespoons of milk to the coffee mixture.  Mixture will be kind of heavy but should be soft enough to drop from a spoon.  If not, add droplets of milk, stirring.

Divide the batter between the two prepared cake pans and bake about 25 minutes, or until springy to touch and cake tester tests clean.  Let cool in pan for 10 minutes before moving to a rack to finish cooling.

For the frosting:  In a bowl, mix the sugar, salt (if using) and butter until smooth.  Add the coffee mixture and beat until well combined and of desired spreading consistency.

To frost the cake, place one of the layers upside down on a serving plate or stand.  Spread about half the frosting.  Take the second layer and that that one right side up on the first layer.  Frost with remaining frosting and decorate with walnut halves.

 












 




COOK'S NOTES:  I think this is a cake I would have to make again to get it perfectly right, and I will most certainly make it again.  In the spirit of honesty, one of my layers was slightly sunk.  Of course I filled it with gobs of wonderful frosting and no harm done and the taste was absolutely unaffected.  I have no idea what that happened.  Maybe I removed it from the pans too soon or not soon enough?  Maybe because I didn't use a food processor for the entire recipe?  That seemed ridiculous to me.  Cakes are finicky creations.  Regardless, this cake was good!  It lasted very well for a couple of days, well wrapped.  Flavors seemed to deepen a bit, becoming even more delicious.  As I said I used an espresso powder, but I like the flavor of coffee. 

Jewish Coffee Cake

Jewish Coffee Cake

I find that as I am getting older, I look for shortcuts in cooking.  Simpler ingredients, fewer steps, less time.  But I still want deliciousness; it's not enough to be convenient.  I have to have some standards, grins.

Truth be told, for a very long time I was a cake mix snob.  Never did I dream the day would come where I would make anything that started with a cake mix.  Well, I've gotten over myself and that ridiculous notion and hail the invention of the boxed cake mix.  While, no question in my mind that homemade is better, the occasional boxed cake mix can become the basis for something delicious and delightful.  Hence this wonderful coffee cake.  From the first whiff of cinnamon-y aroma while it baked till we took our first mouthful, we loved it.  Yep, I'll be making this again.  I have two boxes of cake mix on hand just for that purpose.

JEWISH COFFEE CAKE

1 box yellow cake mix  the kind without the pudding mix already in it (I used white as it's what I had)
1 package, 3.5 ounce, instant vanilla pudding powder
4 large eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sour cream

In a separate bowl combine and set aside:
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Grease and flour a 9" x 13" baking pan; set aside.

In a large bowl, mix the first five ingredients together on medium speed for about two minutes.  Pour half the mixture into the bottom of the prepared baking pan.  Sprinkle half the sugar mixture over the batter.  Pour remaining batter over the sugar mixture.  Top with remaining sugar mixture.  Run a knife in a swirly pattern through the batter.

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 40 to 45 minutes or until tests done.

Let cool a bit before cutting and enjoying.

COOK'S NOTES:  I did not use all the sugar mixture, though I regretted it later.  I think it would've looked prettier if I did, but I balked at consuming so much sugar.  It's a trade off.

The batter is a little tricky to "pour" as it doesn't pour; it glops.  So, I spooned like 12 mounds in the pan and took two forks and pulled/stretched the dough into place.  It doesn't have to be perfect but it the cake is meant to have two layers of a sort, grins.

Cake remained moist and delicious for a couple of days, well wrapped.

Blueberry Tea Cake

Blueberry Tea Cake

I cannot tell you how many times I've made this little cake over the years.  It's been an old favorite and when I'm craving a little something special, a little blueberry, and definitely easy, this is what I turn to. 

I found the recipe in one of those self-published church cookbooks or something similar and I bless the person who shared this humble, perfectly delightful recipe.

It's a nice weekend family treat.  Keeps well for a couple of days if well covered.

BLUEBERRY TEA CAKE

5 tablespoons shortening
1 cup of sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
2/3 cup milk
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 cups blueberries, rinsed, drained, picked over, then tossed in a little flour and sugar
Extra sugar for sparkle

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.  Grease and flour an 8" x 8" baking pan.

Cream the shortening.  Add the sugar, eggs and milk.  Sift the flour and baking powder and add to the wet ingredients.  Mix well.  Gently add the blueberries, folding into the batter.

Pour into prepared pan.  Sprinkle with a bit of sugar.  Bake for 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center tests clean.  You might have to cover with a bit of tin foil if the center isn't cooking as fast the rest.  Let cool a bit before cutting.

Nice with a melting pat of butter.  YUM!

COOK'S NOTES:  I've made this with both fresh and frozen blueberries and both work equally well, so you don't have to limit yourself on when you want to enjoy this.  I find if I'm using frozen berries, I rinse off them off to remove any ice crystals and dry them quickly on a couple of paper towels.  You may have to cook the cake longer if using frozen berries.

Coconut Bread (or Cake)

No doubt about it, we enjoy our sweet treats and this surely delivered. Lots of delicious coconut flavor in this bread (though why isn't it called a cake?)  Perhaps because the original recipe called for it to be baked in two loaf pans and I decided to bake mine in a tube pan. Yeah, I can be a rebel like that sometimes, grins.

Regardless, this is nice sweet cake. Was very good with coffee in the morning, and with a cuppa tea later on. One slice goes a long way towards satisfying that sweet tooth. I wouldn't say the cake is the greatest keeper. It's a dense cake, a little crumbly, and no surprise, the outside edges tended to get a bit try. Trim them off and the inside was moister.

I had a couple of different bags of coconut I wanted to use up: one was the shredded type, more commonly known I suspect, and the second was a bag of flaked organic coconut, so it had the big white snowy flakes of that delectable nut. Perhaps the flaked coconut contributed to the crumbliness of the cake, I don't know. I just know I liked it.

COCONUT BREAD (OR CAKE)

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons coconut extract

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.  Grease and flour two 9" x 5" loaf pans, or a tube or bundt pan.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, soda and salt.

In a large bowl, mixing by hand, combine the sugar, oil, eggs, and coconut extract.

Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk to the sugar mixture and stir only until moist.

Stir in shredded coconut.

Pour batter into pan (s).

Bake for one hour or until it tests done.** Let rest in pan for about ten minutes before removing to rack to complete cooling.

COOK'S NOTE:  Because I cooked this in a heavy metal tube pan (angel food pan) the cake/bread was done around 45-50 minutes.  So start checking around 45 minutes and adjust time accordingly.

Simple, Sweet, Pineapple Cream Cheese Squares

I'm a great believer that food does not have to be complicated or have a multitude of ingredients in order to be tasty or appreciated.  This little cake is a perfect example.

If you want something simple and sweet, you don't have a lot of time or a lot of ingredients, these sweet pineapple-filled squares are delicious. I'm not joking when I say they're sweet; this little square of scrumptiousness will more than likely satisfy the most demanding sweet tooth.

This is a thin cake, made in a small jelly roll pan.  The recipe calls for a half sheet pan, which measures 15 inches by 11 inches, so this is a good sized cake for to make for a crowd.  Good news is, even if you don't have a crowd, the cake keeps nicely, if well wrapped, for a couple of days in the fridge.  Just let it come to room temperature before serving.

PINEAPPLE CREAM CHEESE SQUARES

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Grease a jelly roll pan or half-sheet cake pan.

In  a large bowl, combine all the ingredients in the order given:
1 20-ounce can crushed pineapple with its juice**
2 large eggs
2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
dash salt

 Mix ingredients and then spread evenly into pan.  Bake for 20 minutes, being careful not to overbake.  When cool, frost with cream cheese frosting

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

8 ounces of cream cheese, softened at room temperature
1 stick (1/4 pound, 8 tablespoons) butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
dash salt

Cream together and then add 2 cups of powdered confectioners' sugar.  Mix well and spread on cooled cake.  Add chopped nuts as desired,

Cut into squares to serve.

COOK'S NOTES:   I didn't have a 20 ounce can of crushed pineapple, but I did have a 20 ounce can of pineapple rings.  I whizzed it through my mini food processor and it worked a charm.

Frost-on-Apples Apple Cider Cake

I had promised myself that I would not become silly over this cake.  I mean it's just a simple breakfast cake after all, right?  It wasn't going to be a big deal.  Until...

I took that first bite and all the scents and aromas and memories of a New England autumn flooded my mouth and I was transported back to a time of golden meadows and golden days, frosty mornings and those first crisp apples.

Our local library used to have an apple cider doughnut and coffee bazaar.  Piles of fresh doughnuts delighted the eye and the warm scents of spices and cider and steaming coffee and hot chocolate filled the air.  Community members would gather 'round to exchange pleasantries while stuffing their mouths with big mouthfuls of doughnuts and hot drink.

So, I found this keeper recipe on a blog I have been following for years, The Circle B Kitchen, and have made several of her recipes and once again her recipe did not disappoint.  I followed it as she wrote it, and I would not change a thing.  Well I did change the name of it, because when I looked mine and I was admiring the simple sugar coating, all I became wistful and thought, geesh, that looks like the old apple orchard we had after the first frost.

There's a few steps to this, none of them difficult, but read through so that those ingredients that need to be at room temperature are ready and waiting for you.  Take the time to enjoy the experience, maybe enjoy the luxury of a little reminiscence.  Reward awaits.

APPLE CIDER CAKE


1 large apple (or 2 small), about 8 ounces total, peeled, cored, diced
1 1/2 cups apple cider
1/2 cup milk (at room temperature)
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 -1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg (I used 1/2 teaspoon)
1/4 teaspoon ground mace
1/2 cup unsalted butter (at room temperature)
3/4 cup granulated white sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar (packed)
3 large eggs (at room temperature)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

CINNAMON SUGAR COATING

6 tablespoons granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon salt

Position rack to middle of oven and preheat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Grease Bundt pan well, making sure to get all the crevices and the middle tube.

In a medium-sized saucepan add the apple cider and chopped apples and bring to a boil over medium high heat.  Reduce heat a notch to medium and allow mixture to simmer for 10 to 12 minutes, or until most of the liquid is absorbed and the apples are easily mashable with a fork.  Letting this cook about few minutes longer (say five to eight minutes) will deepen the apple flavors.

Remove from heat and allow to cool in the pan.  Once cool enough to process, puree with a stick blender or mini food processor if you want something smooth.  I used a regular ole pastry fork and gave it a good mash up.  Measure out 1 1/4 cups of the puree and combine with the milk; set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and mace; set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the 1/2 cup softened butter with the two sugars until light and fluffy.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Decrease mixer speed to low, and slowly add the flour mixture in three batches, alternating with the apple puree mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture.  Use a rubber spatula as necessary to scrape down batter to ensure it's all combined.  Increase mixer speed to  medium and beat until just combined, about 20 seconds.  Add vanilla and beat about 10 seconds, just to combine.

Scrape batter into prepared pan and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit 35 to 45 minutes, rotating cake midway during baking, or until cake tester inserted in center comes out clean.  Transfer cake to cooling rack and allow to rest for about ten minutes before inverting directly on the cooling rack.  Coat the cake with the sugar coating while cake is still warm.

For the cinnamon sugar coating, combine all the ingredients in a small bowl.  I used a pastry brush to gently work the coating over the entire cake, and once the cake was covered, any remainder was generously sprinkled over the top.

COOK'S NOTES:  This cake keeps well for several days if well covered and flavors only get better.
I rarely have unsalted butter in the house so I use 3/4 teaspoon salt with the difference being made up more or less in the butter.  If you don't have mace, you can just increase the amount of nutmeg used.  I happen to have it in my cabinet, so used it plus the higher amount of nutmeg and don't regret it, grins.