Lemon Cake – Ina Garten is always good.

I have a bit of a cookbook problem. . . or according to my husband – a real problem.  Just this week my dad built me a custom bookshelf for my cookbooks (it matches the kitchen he built for me last year – no he’s not a carpenter, he’s a doctor – don’t ask.  But yes, in case you were wondering, I am spoiled).  Looking at my beautiful tower of cookbooks makes me feel very contented.  It also motivates me to cook.  As much as I love pulling recipes off the computer there’s something about the heft of a cookbook that delights me. 

Isn’t it pretty?  Those cookies in the jar are these if you were wondering.
That said I actually somehow don’t own any of Ina Garten’s many cookbooks.  I’m not sure why.  Some of my best dishes actually come from Ina, she never seems to let you down.  Her recipes are usually easy, and always work, usually spectacularly.  My favorite coconut cupcakes (oh are they good), a really great chocolate cake, the salmon dish that my four year old requests  almost every week,  all Ina.  This recipe is a new Barefoot Contessa recipe (to me, it just took me forever to make it, I realize that it’s an old favorite to many).  This is her Lemon Yogurt Cake.  You can click here for her recipe, but I’ll put it here on Teresacooks for you too.
My kids kept going “oh, it’s so tangy sweet!”  They were also pretty annoyed when my youngest ate all the glaze off the last hunk of cake.  The glaze is really good.  I made 2 of these and gave one to a friend.  It’s kind of perfect for that sort of thing, I wrapped it in wax paper like a present and gave it away, it’s sturdy enough to do that and not break in half. 

You’ll need fresh lemons and whole milk yogurt.


The lemon zest goes into the wet ingredients. . . this is what happens when a 4 year old is your assistant.

Then you soak the hot cakes with lemon syrup.  Glaze the cooled cakes.  Pretty.

Note the cakes are on a rack over a cookie sheet, and the syrup and glaze is puddling underneath them.  Don’t forget to put them on the rack or you’ll be sorry.  I love the simple beautiful appearance of these cakes.
Lemon Yogurt Cake by Ina Garten

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
• 1 1/3 cups sugar, divided
• 3 extra-large eggs
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

For the glaze:

• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch loaf pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper. Grease and flour the pan.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into 1 bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, 1 cup sugar, the eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. With a rubber spatula, fold the vegetable oil into the batter, making sure it's all incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 50 minutes, or until a cake tester placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean.
Meanwhile, cook the 1/3 cup lemon juice and remaining 1/3 cup sugar in a small pan until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside.
When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Carefully place on a baking rack over a sheet pan. While the cake is still warm,take a skewer and poke some holes in the cake so the syrup can sink into the middle.  Then pour the lemon-sugar mixture over the cake and allow it to soak in. Cool.
For the glaze, combine the confectioners' sugar and lemon juice and pour over the cake.

Fudgy Brownies with Grown-Up Frosting

  A friend of mine emailed me this recipe and asked me to make it and compare notes with her.  I don’t usually try new brownie recipes because I have one I’m quite happy with already.  I’ll post that one at a later date. 

These brownies, which she found on AOL (recipe), are very good.  I was a little skeptical because I don’t usually like brownies with frosting. . . they’re sweet enough on their own for me.   This frosting is so good!  Here’s the kicker: it’s not sweet at all.  In fact, all of the kids who tried the frosting hated it, but all of the adults loved it.  The frosting is like a barely sweet, barely minty chocolate mousse, and it’s spooned generously onto the cut brownie individually right before serving.  This is good on so many levels: the frosting cuts the sweetness of the brownies and adds a creamy element.  The fact that the kids hate the frosting doesn’t matter because you don’t frost the whole pan, kids can have unfrosted brownies and grown-ups can lather on the frosting.

I also have to admit that I didn’t read the recipe carefully and had a million things going on while I was making the frosting. . . You are supposed to infuse half a cup of cream with mint, pour it over the chocolate, wait for it to cool then whip the additional cup and a half of cream.  *I dumped 2 cups of cream into the pot, infused it with mint, poured it over the chocolate, realized my mistake and freaked out.  Then I beat in the chocolate until it was smooth, stuck it in the fridge until it was cold, crossed my fingers and whipped the chocolate cream. . . it totally worked! 

The recipe called for chopped chocolate- but I’ll be honest, I hate chopping chocolate. . . it melts whether you do or don’t when it’s over heat.  Chop it if you’re melting it with cream, be lazy when using heat.

PRINTABLE RECIPE

Ingredients

• BROWNIES
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, plus more for coating foil
• 6 ounces unsweetened chocolate
• 1 2/3 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 large eggs
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 3/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
• FROSTING
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup fresh mint sprigs, plus more for garnish
• 1/2 cup finely chopped bittersweet or semisweet chocolate

Directions:

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.

Line a 9-inch square baking pan with 2-inch-high sides with foil. Butter the foil.  (this is kind of annoying to do, but boy is it worth it when the brownies are done)

Dump the chocolate and the butter into a bowl that you can use as a double boiler.  Melt over simmering water, stirring to combine.   Cool until mixture is nearly room temperature.

Whisk in the sugar, vanilla and salt. Whisk in the eggs 1 at a time. Stir in the flour just until blended.

Stir in the 3 ounces of bittersweet chocolate and the walnuts.

Transfer the batter to the prepared pan.

Bake until a tester inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs attached, about 30 minutes. Cool the brownies on a rack.

Combine 1/2 cup of the cream and 1/2 cup of the mint in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. *(see above)

Place the finely chopped chocolate in a medium bowl. Set a strainer over the chocolate in the bowl. Pour the minted cream through the strainer and over the chocolate; discard the mint leaves.

Stir until the chocolate melts and the mixture is well blended. Cool to room temperature.

Whip the remaining 1 1/2 cups of cream in a large bowl until soft peaks form.

Gradually fold the chocolate mixture into the whipped cream until well blended but still light and airy.

Using the foil as an aid, lift the brownie from the pan. Remove the foil.

Cut the brownies into squares. Spoon the frosting generously atop the brownies.

Crêpes Suzette

So after yesterday's crêpe making binge I decided to try making Crêpes Suzette for dessert for my friends tonight, I've never tried it - but orange, butter, sugar, grand marnier and cognac - how bad can it be? I have to put it out there that I've never flambéed anything, and it kind of scared me. . . especially since my father and brother just built me the kitchen of my dreams - I really don't want to burn it down. When I touched the torch to the hot alcohol it flamed instantly and stopped everyone in mid-sentence. . . and it burned a few minutes, but it wasn't scary or out of control. . . I did remember to turn the exhaust off so as not to suck the flames up. . .I would definately not be afraid of flambéeing anything in the future now that I've done it - so I'm confident that you can do it too.

When I started looking for the recipe I began by looking in La Bonne Cuisine Français. I couldn't find my old French copy from when I was an exchange student in the 80's - this was the cookbook that all the French mothers used - and they could cook! I had to pull out the new English Translation, la Bonne Cuisine de Mme. E.  Saint-Ange, which unlike my old French one has no pictures and a much less appealing layout.  The recipe was there allright. . . and began by asking me to violate an orange with a sugar cube in a way that made me say: "next recipe."  So this recipe is basically Julia Child's recipe.  Here you use a food processor instead of a sugar cube to get the essential oils out of the orange zest.

I took this out just in case. . .

orange zest and sugar in the food processor

after a few minutes in the food processor

the orange butter

The finished product

12 crêpes (for my recipe click here) already made.

Orange Butter

1 orange, zested with a vegetable peeler

1/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup unsalted butter

1/3 -1/2 cup fresh orange juice (from 2 oranges)

Crêpes Suzette

2 tablespoons sugar

1/4 cup cognac

1/4 cup orange liqueur

Directions

Orange Butter

1.For orange butter, pulse orange zest and sugar in a food processor, to extract the zest oils. You want the sugar to be orange and crumbly when you're done, it takes a minute.  Add the butter and orange juice and blend until smooth. Put it in a bowl and refrigerate it if you're using it in the future.

Crepes Suzette

1.For Suzette, have your crepes on a plate, and the alcohols measured and mixed.

2.Place a large sauté pan over medium heat and melt orange butter – let it bubble for up to 5 minutes – it will thicken and become syrupy. Reduce heat to low and lay in a crêpe, flipping it over to coat both sides. Fold the crepe into quarters using tongs and move to the serving platter (having it warmed would have been great. . .). Repeat with remaining crepes.

3.Sprinkle sugar over completed crêpes. Turn off the burner and pour in the alcohol.  Turn it on again and bring it almost to the boil.  Carefully tilt the pan toward the flame (if you wish) to ignite – take care to keep back as the flames can come up quickly. I did this step with a butand torch I bought for crème brûlée. Let the alcohol burn for a minute or two, then pour it over the crepes while it's still flaming. Serve the crepes, 2 per person and spoon sauce over.

Printable Recipe

Aunt Joanne's Chocolate Cheesecake

This chocolate cheesecake is so good.  How good?  Make it yourself and find out.  I will say that it has been my daughter's birthday cake of choice since she was 4 years old, and she has a very sophisticated palate. Another brilliant thing about this cheesecake is that it actually tastes better if you make it in advance, like days in advance.  You can still eat it the day after you make it, but it's great for those times when you'll need the last minute to deal with other stuff. . . like christmas for example.   I got this recipe from my Aunt Joanne (I bet you're really surprised given the title of the post), and she's one in a long line of great cooks in my family.  She said I could share it with you.

Chocolate Cheesecake

40 chocolate wafers (I use Newman's own chocolate alphabet cookies, and it takes about 60 I think)

1/3 cup butter, melted*

8 oz. bar of semi-sweet chocolate (I use ghirardelli)

1 1/2 pounds cream cheese

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons cocoa powder

1 tsp. vanilla

1 1/2 c. sour cream (I always throw in the whole pound container. . . nothing bad happens)

1. Crush the wafers and combine with butter.  This would be a good job for your trusty kitchen assistants.
2. Press it into a 10" Springform pan (I always cover the bottom - outside- with foil since the first time I made it some butter leaked out and made my oven smoke.  When I called my Aunt all panicky that's what she suggested I do).  You can use the bottom of a flat cup measure to do this nice and evenly if you want. . .or you can let the kitchen assistants go to town with their hands, I opt for the former.  Chill the crust while making the cake.
3. Melt the chocolate and cool it.
4. Beat the cream cheese in a mixer until smooth.  Add the sugar, and eggs (one at a time).  Add the cooled chocolate, cocoa, vanilla and sour cream.
5. Pour into the pan and smooth the top.
6. Bake 45 minutes.  The cake will be soft but will firm as it cools.
7. Cool in the oven with the door open for 1 hour.  Refrigerate at least overnight, and up to 5 days in advance.

*1/3 of a cup. . . but that's not marked on the butter wrapper. . . throw this one at your kids:  "Hey, if there are 16 tablespoons in a cup of butter how many tablespoons are there in a third of a cup. . . quick I need to know now!"  - the answer, btw is 5 1/3 Tbsp.  if you don't feel like doing the math and have no one around to badger about doing division and "real life math."

Printable Recipe

Caramel Pecan Cupcakes

I'm still baking for the Gourmet Supper club. All morning long I've been baking these Pecan brown sugar cupcakes with salted caramel frosting. If you're going to make these be sure to toast the pecans the night before and leave ample time to let the frosting in all it's various stages cool. They're delicious. For some reason my picture of these came up as a separate post, so if you want to see what they look like check out that post.

A Pumpkin Cake

So I am preparing for a Gourmet supper club thanksgiving dinner, and one of the things I am making is this Four Layer Pumpkin Cake. I am in the middle of making it now and have just used my handy dandy cake slicer thingy to cut the 3" high cake into four levels. The cake looked dreadful after being frosted, so I stuck it in the fridge and made another half batch of frosting which I was able to fix it with. The top two pictures are my cake and the bottom one I borrowed from the Gourmet website. . .