Apricot Buttermilk Coffee Cake

Another week of pregnancy gone by, another cake. At least we finally got around to getting everything set up for the baby's arrival? Easier said than done with a hyperactive toddler around (especially one who very much wants to make sure he's getting lots of attention before he has to compete for Mom and Dad).

I had some apricots sitting around that my kid rejected. I can't blame him - I swear they always look better than they taste. They were almost inedibly sour, but the magic of apricots is that they turn into pure sweetness when baked. So I really had no choice but to make a cake, right?

Sprouted Kitchen's "Buttermilk Berry Crumb Cake" popped into my head. I'd meant to make it last summer but never got around to it (also, berries never last long in this house). So I adapted it to fit what I had around and wanted to use, and came up with a not-too-sweet, nubbly-textured cake perfect for accompanying a cup of tea or coffee, or being served as a breakfast treat.

I will note that you definitely *can* taste the banana in this. I think next time I'd either replace it with an actual fat (probably flavorless oil, or maybe yogurt?) OR I'd accent the banana flavor more by leaving out the fruit, and subbing in either a caramel ribbon, chocolate chips, or perhaps just a few handfuls of chopped pecans. The original recipe never specified pan size. I didn't have a springform pan and so I used a 10" pan, which I thought made this just the right thickness, but use whatever you like (just adjust cooking time accordingly). Just make sure if the pan is smaller that it's fairly deep (ie thicker than regular 8" or 9" cake pans).

Apricot Buttermilk Coffee Cake:

Cake:
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 medium ripe bananas, mashed
1/4 cup / half stick unsalted butter, melted
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
dashes of cinnamon and ginger, to taste
2 cups diced fresh apricots

Crumble:
1/4 cup / half stick unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup old-fashioned or quick oats
1/4 cup spelt or other whole-grain flour
1/4 c. almond meal
1/2 cup sugar (white or brown)
1/4 cup pecans
ground mace (several dashes)
pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a 10" deep pan with parchment or foil, and grease the bottom and sides.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the buttermilk, mashed bananas, and melted butter. Add the eggs one at a time, then add in the vanilla.

In another bowl, combine the whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Add one cup of the apricots to the dry mix and toss to coat. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and stir to combine in as few strokes as possible. Be careful not to overmix!

In another bowl, make the crumble. Mix the softened butter, oats, flours, sugar, spices, and salt together. I found it easiest to rub everything together with my fingers until pea-sized clumps formed.

Pour the batter into the pan and scatter the rest of the apricot pieces evenly on top. Sprinkle the crumble over all. Bake on the middle rack for 50-60 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Try not to overbake as the cake is low in fat and may come out very dry if you do. Cool on a wire rack, serve warm or at room-temp.

Rhubarb Breakfast Cake

Since I'm still nesting (aka baking) in anticipation of Baby No. 2, here's another rhubarb recipe for the archives! While this is technically a spin on Elizabeth Bard's "Rhubarb Yogurt Cake", I've taken to calling my version "Rhubarb Breakfast Cake". It has a decent amount of sugar and uses butter instead of oil, BUT it has whole grain flour and yogurt in it as well. So, I'm running with the healthy-ish aspects and encouraging you to serve this for breakfast or brunch (although it's also fantastic for teatime or an afternoon snack). I've made it three times in the past 2 weeks, both for us and as a hostess gift, so (imho) it's a winner. The nubbly-ness of the whole grains and the tartness of the rhubarb are irresistible.

Hints:

1 c. plain yogurt, stirred to combine if any whey has separated (full-fat recommended)
1 c. granulated sugar
1 pinch of good sea salt (I'm currently into Sea Change, harvested here in Maine)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 c. butter, melted and cooled to room temp
2 large eggs
1 1/2 c. whole grain flour - I really like using spelt or a mix of spelt and whole wheat
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
nutmeg, cardamom, ginger, and cinnamon to taste
1 c. rhubarb, cut into 1/2-inch pieces and tossed with a good sprinkle of sugar to macerate for 10 mins.

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter or oil a 10" round cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper or foil.

2. In a large bowl, combine the yogurt, sugar, salt, and extract and whisk until well-mixed. Add in the butter, mix well. Add in the eggs one at a time, stirring to combine well after each addition.

3. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and spices in a smaller bowl or on a sheet of parchment or waxed paper. Add to the batter, stirring just til combined (be careful not to overmix).

4. Pour into cake pan, and evenly sprinkle the rhubarb mixture on top (it will sink to the bottom as it bakes, and that's okay!).

5. Bake for about 35 - 45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean (mine have been done after 40 minutes).

6. Let cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then turn out and finish cooling on a wire rack. This part can be a bit tricky since it's a large cake. Just go slowly!


7. Because of the moist rhubarb, I preferred to store slices in a Tupperware in the fridge (or cover the top with foil and refrigerate), rather than risking spoilage at room temperature.

Angel Food Cake with Lemon Yogurt Cream and Fruit Recipe

Inspired by Martha Stewart's Rhubarb Tart with Lemon-Yogurt Mousse, I whipped up a faster, easier version for Mother's Day.

The Greek yogurt adds a really nice tang to this and, combined with the bright lemon notes, reins in the sweetness of the angel food cake without taking away from the decadence of the cream. Everyone was raving about the combination!

Hints:

1 boxed angel food cake mix

1 lemon, preferably organic

1 container CoolWhip or 1 pint heavy/whipping cream

1 container Greek yogurt (I used Fage)

confectioner's sugar

fruit of choice

Make your angel food cake, following the directions on the box. Angel food cake is one of the few things I will *NOT* make from scratch. I tried once and the whole thing plopped out of the pan like a big, old, wet fart shortly after I turned it upside down, and I laughed so hard I cried for the next five minutes. (A shocker for my family members, who assumed I'd be really upset since it was a birthday cake for someone.) The box mix is just easier, foolproof, and delicious!

Once your cake is cool and you're almost ready to serve dessert, get out your CoolWhip or whip your cream. Combine in a large bowl with the yogurt. I used about a 2 parts CoolWhip/cream to 1 part Greek yogurt ratio, but feel free to change this to suit your own taste. Wash your lemon and zest about half of it into the bowl (you won't need the juice). Add a few tablespoons of confectioner's sugar. I used about 2 I think, but again, use as much or as little as you like. Whisk together til thoroughly combined and set aside.

Prep your fruit. Here I used fresh raspberries, but on Mother's Day I stewed strawberries and rhubarb together (adding about a 1/4 c. sugar and some lemon juice) until softened and let the mixture cool slightly.

Slice your cake, top with as much of the lemon yogurt cream as you like, and spoon your fruit on top. That's it! Simple yet delicious.

An Update, Of Sorts

Needless to say, it's been a busy few months around here! The little guy is constantly moving (and eating!). 

I haven't really done much in the way of crafting, although I did have a long string of started-then-unraveled knitting projects. Trying to correctly follow patterns while insanely sleep-deprived and barely coherent is not a good idea. I think I tried one pattern at least three times before I gave up amid tears of frustration. Okay, they were more like tears of not remembering what sleeping is like, but the emotions all kind of blend together in the early months.

Mostly, lately, I've been baking here and there in an attempt to make the best of late spring's first fruits. I'll admit that I can never get enough rhubarb! All winter long I dream of its appearance at the market, a bright ruby and chartreuse contrast to the snowy landscape's whites and grays.

This year, I've vowed to make as many different things with the scarlet stalks as possible instead of sticking to my trademark (although still delicious) stewed rhubarb spooned over Greek yogurt.

So far, I've made these Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp Bars from Smitten Kitchen, this Rhubarb Syrup for Italian sodas without the mint from OrganicGardening, and this Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake from Martha Stewart. They all came out well, but the syrup and upside-down cake were my favorites. The latter, which is more like a coffee cake than a traditional cake, is so moist (gross word, but accurate description) with an almost creamy texture from the sour cream. It was even better on the second day, a rarity for baked goods.

Are you a rhubarb fiend as well? What have you been baking lately?

DIY Sugared Violets for Cake, Cookie, and Cupcake Decorating

I haven't done a DIY/tutorial in ages, so I finally have one again for you today! (I'll be adding some jewelry ones over the next month as well.) Today's DIY will show you how to make your own sugared violets for decorating cupcakes, cakes, and cookies. Who needs fancy and expensive fondant flowers when you can just sugar edible flowers yourself?

I used a mix of purple violets and white violets. I think the white ones are my favorites - I love the purple veins in the middle! Double-check/Google that you have the right variety and species before you pick your own and make sure they haven't been sprayed with pesticides or animal urine/waste! If you can't find any in your area that are safe to pick, try ordering them from a local florist. Sidenote: roses, pansies, and nasturtiums are also edible! (But, again, double-check that you have the right kinds, parts, and are not pregnant.) 101 Cookbooks recently posted a great and much more extensive piece on edible flowers, you can read it here!

Carefully wash your flowers and let them air dry. You could wash them the day before and then sugar them the next. The sugaring part takes less than an hour to do, not counting drying time after.

Crack an egg into a bowl or cup, separate out the white, and lightly beat it with a little bit of water. I don't have an approximate amount, I think I added roughly "a splash". First, I tried just dunking the violets. This was a mess. The petals bent back on each other and stuck to each other. So I tried a new method. Take your violet, and flatten one petal against a sheet of wax paper as if you were getting the bloom ready for a flower press (don't unattach it from the rest of the flower). Then take a soft brush, dab off the excess against the rim of the bowl/cup, and "paint" the petal as if you were painting a fingernail. You only need a fairly thin coat, so don't put it on too thickly. Do the next petal, until you've done all five. Don't do the backs just yet, just the face of the violet! Because of the egg white involved, don't eat these if you have a compromised immune system in any way (are young, old, sick, etc.).

Spread sugar on a plate or in a bowl. I used maybe a cup, but had plenty leftover. I used regular sugar, but superfine sugar would work even better! Use a spoon or your fingers to gently sprinkle an even layer of sugar onto the violet. Don't layer on too much, you don't want the petals to bend too much or break off under the weight of too much sugar. Sugar all five petals, then lift up your flower and let the excess fall back onto the plate/bowl. You can give it a very gentle shake to help this happen.

Lay your sugar-faced violets face down on a sheet of waxed paper. Then brush the backs with the egg white mixture, and sugar the backs in the same way. Transfer to a clean sheet of waxed paper to dry. I dried mine face down, but you could do the opposite if you prefer. Depending on humidity levels, it may take them as little as a day or as much as several days. The sugar takes on more of a white, almost rock candy-esque look when they've dried and they will feel crusty to the touch. Let them dry for at least a day before checking, though, so you don't wipe off sugar by accident if you touch them to check. Whichever way you lay them down on the paper, turn them over at least once to the opposite face during this time to help both sides dry evenly.

You might be thinking you could just sugar one side, since the back won't show. I tried this the first time I did these, and it just didn't end well. Because the fronts of the petals were so much heavier than the backs, when I picked them up to move them, petals broke off. They were just too delicate with only one side done. So do both! After they've dried, transfer them to a waxed paper lined airtight container and keep them at room temp. They'll last for about a week.

Here's a close-up of one of the purple violets, laying on a violet leaf.

Here's the white violet version. Though they're edible (and again, make sure you have the right kind, that they haven't been sprayed, and that you don't have a compromised immune system because of the raw egg white, etc.), I think they're too pretty to eat! The sugar turns the bright purple to a pastel lavender, and it makes them sparkle. They'd look lovely perched on top of a cupcake, frosted sugar cookie, or ringing the base or top of a cake. They'd look lovely ringed around the bottom of each tier of wedding cake at a reception as well, with more arranged in the center of the top tier. If you had enough violets, you could completely cover the sides of a cake with them. Wouldn't that be stunning?

Everything's Coming Up Roses

How lovely is this Rose Cake from I Am Baker? It'd be perfect for Valentine's Day. (Then again, cake is perfect for any day, right?)

I really like white and green together, so I think I'd go one step further and pipe tiny bright green leaves in among the petals. You could also accent the flower centers with small silver balls or edible glitter.

Get the easy tutorial here!

Ming Makes Cupcakes

These delicious-sounding cupcake recipes and beautiful, good-enough-to-eat photos to match are from Ming Makes Cupcakes.

See over 30 recipes for cupcakes, cookies, & savory bites as well as more lovely photos here!

Edible Love Notes

Just in time for Valentine's Day - edible love notes!

AmberLee, the creator of Giver's Log, copied one of Shakespeare's sonnets onto rice paper using food coloring and a calligraphy pen and then wrapped a small cake with it.

Clever, heartfelt, and delicious!