I decided to make this cake for Mother’s Day on Sunday.  My thought is that I would freeze it until then.  So, today’s blog will be without a taste test.  You can check out the other Tuesday with Dorie bloggers to see how they liked the cake.

My market had rhubarb, so I grabbed 5 healthy stalks.  I used a 10″ springform pan lined on the bottom with parchment paper and sprayed all inside with a baking spray.  Then I covered the bottom and sides of the pan with aluminum foil just incase the pan leaked.  This then went on to a baking sheet.

Next I prepared the caramel walnut sauce on the stovetop.  The recipe calls for pecans, which I would have preferred, but I did not have any on hand.  Once made, the sauce is poured into the pan and then slices of rhubarb are arranged on top.

The cake batter is made and spooned on top of the rhubarb slices.  Then the cake goes into the oven for 35 minutes to bake.  Out of the oven, it is immediately inverted onto a cooling rack. and the springform sides are loosened.  It makes a lovely looking cake.

Right now, the cake is wrapped up in the freezer.  I am looking forward to tasting it on Sunday.  But just in case it is not a winner, I am also bringing my Overnight Coffee Cake to the brunch.  Plus that has chocolate, which someone in my family considers a necessity in every dessert.  I plan to post my thoughts on the rhubarb cake on Sunday.

Not what I would call an easy recipe.  This is definitely for those wanting a challenge.  Most of the challenge comes from timing the different steps.  It is a yeast dough that has to rise, which I always have a problem with, and this time was no exception.  My things just do not appear to rise.  But I just went with it and popped the cake into the oven the way it was and it turned out fine.

Rolled out dough with meringue filling.

Rolled up dough formed into a crescent shape.

My version used toasted pecans and 70% cacao dark bittersweet chocolate from Ghirardelli ( I chopped up a 4oz. bar and used the whole thing).  I remember the first time I made this I used hazelnuts and chocolate.  I like the pecans better.  I did not use the rum glaze on top this time.  I think it looked beautiful just the way it was.

Anyway, we had a family brunch this morning with out of town relatives.  On the menu were nova lox, kippered salmon, bagels, rye bread, and all the necessary food items that go with these.  I thought the coffee cake would be a perfect dessert.  It was.  Everyone liked it.

If you are looking for a challenge and need an impressive coffee cake, try this one.  It is well worth it.

Overnight Coffee Cake by Donna Deane from the Los Angeles Times

Total time: 1 hour, 15 minutes plus overnight rising time, plus 1 hour, 15 minutes same-day rising time

Servings: 20 (8 to 10 per coffeecake)

1 cup milk, divided

2 ( 1/4 ounce each) envelopes dry yeast

1/2 cup warm water (100 to 110 degrees)

4 cups flour

1 1/4 cups sugar, divided

1 teaspoon salt

2 sticks butter, cut up

3 egg yolks, lightly beaten, plus 1 egg yolk, divided

3 egg whites

2 teaspoons plus 1 tablespoon cinnamon, divided

1 1/2 cups chopped toasted hazelnuts, divided

1 cup powdered sugar, sifted

1 teaspoon dark rum

(optional)

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

1. In a small saucepan, heat three-fourths cup milk to scalding. Remove from the heat and let cool to warm.

2. Sprinkle the yeast over the warm water and stir until the yeast is completely dissolved.

3. In the large bowl of an electric mixer, combine the flour, one-fourth cup sugar and the salt. Work the butter in by hand or with a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles cornmeal.

4. Combine 3 lightly beaten egg yolks, the warm milk and the yeast mixture. Add to the flour mixture and beat at medium speed until completely blended and a soft dough forms, about one minute.

5. Divide the dough into two parts and shape each into a ball. Put each into a lightly buttered bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

6. Remove the dough from the refrigerator; let it stand 30 minutes. Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

7. While the dough is standing, beat the egg whites until light and foamy. Gradually beat in the remaining 1 cup sugar until stiff peaks form. Beat in 2 teaspoons of the cinnamon. Fold in 1 cup of the chopped toasted hazelnuts.

8. Take one of the dough balls, shape it into an oval and, on a lightly floured board, roll it out to form a 10- by 18-inch rectangle.

9. Spread half of the meringue mixture onto the rolled-out dough, leaving a 1-inch border. Roll up the dough lengthwise jellyroll style. Pinch the ends of the roll to seal.

10. Gently lift the roll onto a greased large baking sheet, seam side down, and form it into a horseshoe shape. Cut slashes halfway through dough at 2-inch intervals.

11. Repeat the process with the remaining half of the dough.

12. Invert a large bowl over each of the coffeecakes. Set aside to rise about 45 minutes or until doubled.

13. Lightly beat 1 egg yolk and 2 tablespoons milk. Brush each of the coffeecakes with egg wash, brushing the entire surface of the dough, but do not brush the meringue filling that shows.

14. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until golden brown, turning the baking sheet halfway through. Cool on the pan for about 5 minutes before glazing.

15. For the glaze, stir together the powdered sugar, the remaining 2 tablespoons milk, the rum, if using, and the vanilla. Drizzle it over the coffeecakes. Sprinkle the cakes with the remaining one-half cup of chopped nuts.

Each of 20 servings: 332 calories; 6 grams protein; 45 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams fiber; 17 grams fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 62 mg. cholesterol; 134 mg. sodium.

Variations

Orange: Follow the master recipe, stirring 2 teaspoons grated orange peel into the filling. Replace 1 cup of the hazelnuts with toasted slivered almonds. For the glaze, substitute 2 tablespoons orange juice for the milk and stir in 1 teaspoon grated orange peel. After glazing, warm the coffeecakes and sprinkle 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped candied orange peel over the top of each. Omit the nuts on top.

Pecan: Follow the master recipe, replacing hazelnuts with toasted pecans in the filling. For the glaze, heat one-fourth cup butter over low heat until nut-brown, about 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Combine three-fourths cup powdered sugar, one-fourth cup firmly packed light brown sugar, the browned butter, 2 tablespoons milk, 2 tablespoons maple syrup and one-fourth teaspoon vanilla. Drizzle the glaze over warm coffeecakes, warming it in the microwave if necessary to maintain drizzling consistency. Sprinkle with one-fourth cup toasted pecan pieces.

Chocolate: Follow the master recipe, stirring one-fourth cup chopped semisweet or bittersweet chocolate into the filling along with chopped hazelnuts. Omit cinnamon. Sprinkle chopped hazelnuts and one-fourth cup chopped chocolate over the warm glazed coffeecakes.

Today at my son’s T-ball game, my daughter and I were looking through my dessert recipe file and she picked out this recipe for Buttermilk-and-Jam Scones that I had cut out of the New York Times Magazine back on May 31, 1998.  Molly O’Neill is the author/creator.

Did I mention how easy this recipe is?  Make the dough.  Flatten it into a 7″ circle.  Spread raspberry jam on half the circle.  Fold over the un-jammed half.  Roll out to a 12: circle.   Cut into scone shapes, triangle or square.  Bake.  Cool.  Enjoy.

Raspberry jam spread on half the dough

The taste is soft, sweet biscuit-like with raspberry accents.  The recipe uses 1/4 cup of raspberry jam.  I think it could stand to use a little more, maybe 1/2 cup.  I dressed them up with a lemon glaze, made of lemon juice and confectioners sugar.

She likes getting her picture taken.

He wanted his picture taken too.

I can see this recipe made with any kind of jam, chocolate chips or Nutella.  But it is really good with the raspberry jam.

So, if you are looking for something new to make, and EASY, try these scones.  Even though I used an old newspaper article, the recipe is posted on line here.  Enjoy!

My daughter watches me when I am putting on my make-up in the morning.  There have been times when she sneaks into my make-up bag and puts on my blush and then emerges from the bathroom pretending that she did nothing and that I will not notice anything.  Of course, the pink cheeks, nose, and chin are exactly what I notice.  I say ” did you put on my make-up”?  And she usually looks at me with her big brown eyes and sheepishly smiles.  I remember doing the same thing with my mother’s make-up when I was little, so how can I be mad at her?

I have decided that Anna’s mother (Anna was the exchange student) had the right idea.  Lipstick is really chic and someone who wears it without other make-up presents an air of confidence.  I would like to have this rule when my daughter gets older.  I want her to appreciate the simple beauty of her face without all the added stuff.  ’Cause frankly, the added stuff covers up the beauty underneath.

The day before Anna left, we made Toll House Chocolate Chip cookies for her to take home.  I thought it was a fitting American souvenir that she could share with her Italian family.  I have always loved this cookie.  It is a really simple cookie with chocolate, but boy does it taste good.

The Tuesday with Dorie recipe for this week is Mocha Chocolate Chip Cookies.  The host this week is Peggy from Galettista.  She has the recipe on her blog.  These cookies are like a Toll House cookie with added stuff.  For me, it was a little too much stuff.  I like simplicity and these cookies were like opening up the kitchen cabinet and throwing in all the chocolate you had and then some dried apricots too.  A lot of added stuff.

The recipe called for using 1 lb of chocolate.   I used 8 ounces of Baker’s bittersweet chocolate, 4 ounces of Ghirardelli white chocolate, and 4 ounces of E. Guittard milk chocolate.  A mixed bag, I know, but it was what I had.

Mixing all this, plus the dried apricots, into the cookie base that contained 2 tablespoons of instant coffee, took some arm power.

My dog was watching me intently, just incase something dropped.  You would never know it from this picture, but he is quite a big boy at 85 lbs.

The cookie dough went into the refrigerator until the next day.  Then after preheating the oven, I used an ice cream scoop to portion out 8 cookies on a parchment paper lined doubled cookie sheet.  The cookies spread a little bit.  The problem I had was how long to bake them.

The first two sheets were baked at 12 minutes.  Since I could not get the cookies off the parchment without breaking them, I just moved the paper (with cookies) off the cookie sheet and onto the cooling rack.

About 10 minutes later, I removed the cookies from the sheet and put them directly onto the wire cooling rack.  Even though I had allowed them to cool, they were still falling apart and way too soft.  So given this, I kept the remainder of the cookies in the oven for 16 minutes.  This might have been too long because although they did not look burnt at all, they had a distinctly burnt smell.

The cookies looked tasty.  But to me, they just tasted confused.  Three kinds of chocolate and apricots and coffee – Why?   I love apricots, but in this cookie, I hated them.  Really.  Bleech.  My husband thought the cookies were good.  He is a chocolate-aholic.  No wonder.

The TWD recipes for April have not been selected.  Hopefully there will be a cake recipe selected.  If not, I will be making my own to post.  Check back soon!

The recipe can be found in Stir-Frying from the Sky’s Edge, by Grace Young.  The instructions are very clear.  I bought my bag of baby bok choy at the local Asian market.  It was enough to feed many, many people.  Still, for about $3.00 a bag, it was a good deal.

I prepared the mies en plas ahead of heating the wok.

I do think the red peppers should have been cut in 2″ pieces, as the long strands in my dish were too much for one mouthful.

I served the dish over Jasmine rice.  I love this rice because it is so easy to make on the stove and takes about 15 minutes tops.  I usually use chicken broth instead of water to flavor the rice more.

As I said, the dish was spicy.  But it was good.

If you want to read what other wokkers thought of this dish, please click here.

One of my friends, Ann, just got back from 2 weeks working with FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) in Northern New Jersey.  Normally Ann is a cafeteria worker at a local elementary school.  By her own admission, she does not make a lot of money.  When FEMA approached her church to ask for volunteers to help the thousands of people affected by Hurricane Sandy, she took a two week leave from her school job to go.

She told me a story last night about how a man came into the building where she was working and went around to each of the tables and yelled at the people sitting there that he needed this or that.  Apparently, he did this every day, and after a while, the people who were working there stopped listening to him.  Ann was listening to this and started writing down what he wanted.  She realized he was asking questions of the wrong people.  So, she made a list and by the time he got to her table to yell at her, she got him to calm down enough so she could help him.  Then they started going over the list that Ann wrote down, addressing each of the concerns.  And one by one, the man saw that she understood what he needed and he said “yes, that is right” over and over to each of the concerns she had written down.  She answered every concern with the information he needed.  And she took him with her to find the right person to answer when she did not know the answer herself.

This man, who had been coming in every day to yell and complain, finally got some help due to Ann’s actions.  Those of us listening to this story were amazed at her ability to help and when she said that FEMA asked her to be on the call list for the future, we were so proud of her.  This is truly the job she was meant to have.

But you know what she said to us after we congratulated her?  She said she felt selfish for having worked with FEMA.  Selfish?  “How is that possible”, we asked.  And through tears, she said she did it for all the wrong reasons.  She said the pay was better than her current job, and she knew she would have time alone by herself, and would have time to sew, one of her passions.  We were dumbfounded that she would say that she was selfish, given what she had accomplished.  I thought, who cares what she was thinking beforehand, she ended up doing and learning something about herself and helping another person who could not thank her enough.  He will never forget her.

This got me thinking about myself and how I have been concerned about leaving my mark on my children.  I think a lot about what I can teach them about myself.  They know I like to sew and bake.  The quilts I make for them have nice labels on the back because I think that years from now, when I am not around anymore, I want someone to know that I was around, and I made a quilt for my daughter or son.  I made them a quilt when they turned 2, and now I am making them a quilt for their 5th birthday.  I will probably do two more before they go to college.

And I bake with my kids because I want them to be able to say that their mom taught them to bake, even though I was teaching myself at the same time.  My daughter really likes helping me bake and cook.  She pulls her step stool up to the counter all the time and asks if she can help me.  I usually give her the stirring detail.  She is dying to crack an egg.  I told her she has to be a little older to do that.  : )  And her teachers in school know that she is a little baker.  One day in school (she is in pre-K), when the class was making lemon bars, she asked the teachers if they had a Microplaner available to zest the lemon.  They got a laugh out of that one.

I might be a little too preoccupied with trying to leave my mark on my children.  I probably don’t really have to do anything but be a good mother and they will remember a good quality about me.  But the quilting and baking make me a happier person, and I do like to teach, so this is probably perfect for me.  And if I am leaving my mark on my children by doing it, then that is even better.

p.s.  I made the chocolate tart with fresh raspberries last summer.  I got the recipe from Baking from My Home to Yours, by Dorie Greenspan.  It was yummy!

A Boston cream pie is a cake that is filled with a custard or cream filling and frosted with chocolate.  Although it is called a Boston cream pie, it is in fact a cake, and not a pie. Created by Armenian-French chef M. Sanzian at Boston’s Parker House Hotel in 1856, this pudding and cake combination comprises two layers of sponge cake filled with vanilla flavored custard or crème pâtissière. The cake is topped with a chocolate glaze (such as ganache) and sometimes powdered sugar or a cherry.

I am loving Carole Walter’s book Great Cakes.  There are not a lot of pictures, but the written descriptions are good enough for me to imagine how good the cake will be.  Her recipe for Boston Cream Pie Cake was spot on and resulted in a wonderful cake.

I had to make the cake part twice, because the first time, I misread the measurement for sugar and instead of using 3/4 cup, I used 1/4 cup.  As a result, the cake did not rise.  At least I think that is why it did not rise.   (I need to invest in a magnifying glass for my cookbooks, so this does not happen again).  You know, I should have known when I tasted the batter that it was missing sugar, because it did not have the sweetness I am used to tasting.  But I let it go into the oven.  I think this was a good lesson for me.  If it does not taste good as a batter, then it will not taste good as a cake.

The directions say that the cake should rise to the top of the 9″ x 2″ cake pan.  Mine did not.  It came about 3/4 of the way up.  But it was good enough for me to slice in half.  Then I added the custard.  I love making custards and pastry creams.  They are so easy, but seem so hard if you have never done it.

Here is the cake split and with custard filling.

Next came the chocolate icing.  My daughter L helped me with this part.

My little Betty Crocker.

The icing is poured on top, spread, and allowed to drip down the sides a little.  The end result was a beautiful cake.

Here is a cut through of the cake.

While I really loved the cake, next time I will double the recipe and make a taller cake by either stacking two cakes, or slicing the two cakes horizontally – making a 4 layer cake.

As is, the cake was a hit with my nephew.  It was his 9th birthday.  Happy Birthday, D!

Boston Cream Pie (from Great Cakes by Carole Walters, copyright 1991)

 Hot Milk Sponge Cake

“This cake can be made in under 15 minutes, but be sure to follow the directions carefully.  To ensure proper volume, the hot milk must be beaten rapidly into the batter, and the flour added immediately,  When correctly made, the cake should rise to the top of the pan.” (Carole Walters, page 262-263, Great Cakes, copyright 1991)

1/2 cup milk

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 cup sifted cake flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

3/4 cup superfine or strained sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Position rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees.  Butter a 9- inch round layer pan and line with a parchment circle.
2. In a small saucepan, heat the milk and butter to almost boiling.  Set aside.
3. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a triple sifter.  Set aside.
4. Beat the eggs on medium-high speed in an electric mixer fitter with beaters or a whip attachment for about 2 minutes.  Gradually add the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, taking about 4 to 5 minutes to blend it in well.  Scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally.  The mixture will thicken and turn light yellow in color.
5. Reduce mixer speed to medium.  Add the vanilla, then pour in the hot milk in a steady stream, taking about 10 seconds.  Immediately add the dry ingredients all at once, and beat just until blended, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.  Increase mixer speed to medium-high and beat 10 seconds.  The batter will be very thin.  Remove the bowl from the mixer and quickly pour the batter into the prepared pan.  Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until the cake begins to come away from the sides of pan and is golden brown and springy to the touch.
6. Set on a cake rack to cool for about 10 minutes.  Run a thin knife around the sides of the pan to loosen.  Invert pan onto the rack sprayed with nonstick coating and peel off the parchment paper.  Invert again to finish cooling right side up.

The Vanilla Custard Filling:

1 1/3 cups milk, divided

1/3 cup sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 tablespoon flour

1 large whole egg

1 large egg yolk

1 tablespoon butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

The Chocolate Icing:

1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped

1 ounce semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

1 1/4 cups strained confectioners’ sugar

3 tablespoons boiling water, plus a few extra drops for thinning glaze

1 tablespoon light corn syrup

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. To make the filling: In a medium saucepan, combine 1 cup of milk and the sugar, and bring to a slow boil over low heat.  Set aside.
2. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and flour.  Gradually stir in the remaining 1/3 cup milk, whisking until very smooth.  Then whisk in the whole egg and the egg yolk.  Add to the hot sugar/milk.  Bring to a boil on low heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture is thick and smooth.  Cook 30 to 45 seconds after the mixture reaches a boil, stirring gently with a wooden spoon to prevent scorching.
3. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter and vanilla.  Press a piece of buttered waxed paper onto the filling to prevent a skin from forming.  Refrigerate until filling is chilled.
4. To make the chocolate icing: Place the chocolates in a medium mixing bowl.  Melt slowly over a low flame in a skillet containing 1/2 inch of hot water.
5. Remove the bowl from the skillet.  Stir chocolate to blend.  Add sugar alternately with hot water, four parts sugar to three parts water, beating well after each addition.
6. Beat in corn syrup and vanilla.  Icing should be pourable, the consistency of chocolate syrup.  If too tight, add a few drops of boiling water until the desired consistency is reached.  The frosting will tighten as it cools.  If you are making it ahead of time, place the bowl in skillet filled with 1/2 inch of hot water to keep warm.

To Assemble the Cake:

1. Divide sponge cake horizontally into 2 layers.  Set the bottom layer cut side up on a serving plate.  Cut 4 strips of waxed paper, each 4 inches wide, and slide under edge of the cake to keep plate clean while you frost.
2. Cover cake with a 1/2-inch layer of custard.  Then position second layer over the first, cut side down.  Holding the bowl 10-inches over the center of the cake, pour on the chocolate icing.  Using a 10-inch metal spatula, quickly ease frosting to edges of cake.  Allow it to drip randomly down the sides; frosting will set almost immediately.

Storage:  Store uncovered in refrigerator for 15 to 20 minutes to set.  If you wish, the cake can be made ahead and refrigerated up to 6 to 8 hours before serving.  Remove 1/2 hour before serving.  Leftover cake should be stored in the refrigerator, loosely covered with a foil tent.  The cake will keep up to 3 days.

Tuesdays I take my son to swimming lessons at 5:00pm.  And when we get home, everyone wants to eat.  So, I had to prepare all the ingredients before I left.   I chopped all the vegetables and put them into one bowl.  I put the chile (I used a poblano) and garlic in another bowl.  The pork and seasoning went into a third bowl.  These went into the refrigerator until I came back from the swim lesson.

Back from the lesson, I boiled water for some rice noodles.  When they were done and drained, I set up the wok.  Following the directions, I stir-fried all the ingredients.  Then I stir-fried the rice noodles with some dry sherry and sesame oil.  To finish, I put some noodles on the plate, added three Boston lettuce leaves and put some of the stir fry mixture inside the leaves.  A scoop of hoison sauce added to the mixture in the lettuce cups was really good.  My husband did not like the daintly quality of the lettuce and instead put the pork stir-fry on top of the rice noodles.

The kids tried the noodles and pork, but decided chicken fingers were what they wanted to eat.  Oh well.

In two weeks we are making Stir-Fried Chili Scallops with Baby Bok Choy.  I do like scallops.  Should be good!

I really did not think I would like the addition of bourbon, at least not without letting the cake sit for a day or so.  I once made a banana cake with a rum buttercream and it definitely needed a few days for the rum flavor to mellow.  So when this recipe encouraged you to eat the cake immediately after baking, I was skeptical that I would like it.

The recipe can be found in the book Baking with Julia.   The Tuesdays with Dorie host this time is Cathy of A Frederick Food Garden.  The recipe can be found on her blog.

I used Guittard white chocolate and Jim Beam bourbon to make the white chocolate cream.  This was made the day before and refrigerated.  Then I used Valrhona 68% dark chocolate for the cake.

First I chopped up the dark chocolate  and placed it in a metal bowl.

I thought this would keep the mixture warm after adding the hot bourbon, so that the butter would melt better when added.  That really did not work and I ended up making a double boiler of the bowl on top of a pot of simmering water.

(Notice the aluminum foil “wallpaper”?  Pretty, huh?  We haven’t finished sealing our new backsplash, so the foil is there for protection.)

My daughter L was a big help with cutting the little pieces of butter to be added into the chocolate/bourbon mixture.  She was very careful handling the knife.

After the butter was melted into the chocolate, we whipped up the eggs with sugar.  The kids really got involved with the whipping and stirring.

This was then poured into a prepared 9″ cake pan and placed into a larger pan with water.  The cake is baked like a pudding; in a water bath.

And it unmolds like a pudding too.  That would be my only criticism.  It does not keep it’s shape like a flour cake.

Does it look like we enjoyed it?  Yep.  That night, the kids and I decided to have dessert first.  Needless to say, we did not eat much dinner after that.  It was so rich.  The white chocolate cream on top was a heavenly addition.

I wish I had taken a good picture of the cake on my plate, but I did not.  So, to end this blog today, I am posting pictures from the circus we went to yesterday.  It was the first time the kids saw a circus.  Their eyes and mouths were agape the whole time.  They loved it.  So did I.

Awesome time!

Today’s recipe is Chicken Lo Mein with Ginger Mushrooms.  The recipe can be found in Stir-Frying to the Sky’s Edge by Grace Young.  I am not really sure why the mushrooms are supposed to be gingered.  Unless I missed something, they don’t get any special treatment with ginger.

I really enjoyed this dish.  I used lo mein style Chinese egg noodles that I found at my Asian food store.  I loved the taste and smell of the noodles with just some sesame oil on them.  And then adding all the other ingredients, like the chicken and cabbage, made it reallly yummy.

I am glad to be back, and looking forward to the next dish, Minced Pork in Lettuce Cups in two weeks.  Check back soon!