cake

Spicy Thymes – Just Desserts

It was rainy week here in Des Moines, so when I learned that National Dessert Day is October 14th, it seemed like the perfect excuse to break out one my grandma’s old recipes. A few months ago, I texted my grandma to see if she knew where I could find good almond paste here in town. She wasn’t sure so instead she just mailed some from the bakery in her home town. I was able to freeze most it, making several Dutch treats over the summer.

I put on Dana Schwartz’s Noble Blood (Marie Antoinette did NOT say ‘Let Them Eat Cake’) and decided on an Almond Butter Cake. 

This cake has a pretty simple ingredient list, the hardest part of “making” it is having to wait for it to finish baking. I was feeling a little “extra” and decided to top my cake with sliced almonds and sugar. That part may not be traditional, but a little crunch goes a long way in my book.

I love being able to share recipes with you all, but this one stays in the family. Just know if you’ve ever had almond butter cake, my grandma’s is better. Mine is no where near as good as hers, but I do my best. It’s more about the chance to revisit the memory of learning to bake with her. My love of baking was born in my grandma’s kitchen. She taught me the importance of choosing high quality ingredients, taking your time, and adding a little bit of love.

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Citrus Olive-Oil Cake

INGREDIENTS
3/4 Cup Citrus Olive Oil (Eureka Lemon, Blood Orange, Persian Lime)
1 large orange
1 Cup cake flour
5 large eggs, separated, reserving 1 egg white for another use
3/4 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

STEPS
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat to 350 degrees. Grease your pan (springform pan works best) with a little oil and line bottom with parchment paper. Oil parchment as well.

Using orange, finely grate 1 1/2 teaspoons of zest. Whisk zest with flour. Halve orange and squeeze, reserving 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh juice.

Beat together yolks and 1/2 cup sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until thick and pale, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to medium and add olive oil (3/4 Cup) and reserved juice, beating until just combined (mixture may look separated). Using a wooden spoon, stir in flour mixture (don’t beat or over stir)

Beat egg whites (from 4 eggs) with 1/2 teaspoon salt in another large bowl with cleaned beaters at medium-high speed until foamy, then add 1/4 cup sugar a little at a time, beating, and continue to beat until egg whites just hold soft peaks, about 3 minutes.

Gently fold one third of whites into yolk mixture to lighten, then fold in remaining whites gently but thoroughly. Transfer batter to springform pan and gently rap against work surface once or twice to release any air bubbles. Sprink top evenly with remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar. Bake until puffed and golden and wooden pick or skewer inserted in centor cake comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool cake in pan on a rack 10 minutes, then run a thin knife around edge of pan and remove side of pan. Cool cake to room temperature about 1 1/4 hours Remove bottom of pan and peel off parchment, then transfer to a serving plate.

Glaze with a powdered sugar-orange juice mixture.

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Blood Orange Pound Cake

INGREDIENTS
Topping
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
3 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 blood orange, sliced thinly

Cake
1 1/2 Cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
3 tsp Green Cardamom, Ground
1 Cup sugar
4 eggs
1/4 cup whole milk
1 tsp Vanilla Extract, Mexican
3/4 Cup Mild Extra Virgin Olive Oil
zest of 2 blood oranges

STEPS
Make the topping. Preheat oven to 350°F. Arrange cold, chopped butter and brown sugar in the bottom of a loaf pan. Place in preheated oven for 5 minutes, or until the butter is melted. Brush butter on the sides of the pan. Arrange orange slices on the bottom and set aside.

Make the cake batter. In a small mixing bowl, sift together the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, salt, and cardamom. In a medium bowl, beat together the sugar and eggs until mixture is pale yellow and thick. Add milk and vanilla, stirring until just combined. Next, add the olive oil, a little at a time,while mixing. Fold in dry ingredients until just combined.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 60 minutes. Check cake at 40 minutes to make sure the top isn’t overly brown. If so, cover top with foil for the remainder of the baking time. Cake is finished when a toothpick, inserted into the middle of the loaf pan, comes out clean.

Transfer cake from oven to a cooling rack and allow it to cool for ten minutes before unmounting it from the pan, turning it over onto a cake plate or platter. The buttery blood orange slices will now form the topping on the cake.

Wait for the loaf to cool completely before slicing.

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Honey Ginger Olive Oil Cake

INGREDIENTS
1/2 Cup plus 1 Tbsp sugar
2 large egg yolks
2 Tbsp Honey Ginger White Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 tsp Vanilla Paste
1 tsp Runamok Ginger Infused Maple Syrup
3/4 tsp fresh grated Ginger
3/4 Cup cake flour
3/4 Cup single-varietal mild rich olive oil, like Picual or Organic Arbosana
3 large egg whites
2 heavy Tbsp sugar
1/4 Cup powdered sugar
1 tsp Ginger powder
1 tsp Honey powder

STEPS
Preheat oven to 325° F.

Butter and flour a 9″ springform pan.

In a stand mixer using whisk attachment on medium speed, combine: sugar, egg yolks, Honey Ginger White Balsamic Vinegar, Vanilla Paste, Runamok Ginger-Infused Maple Syrup, and fresh grated ginger. Sift the cake flour, then gradually add it to the mixture.
Add the olive oil in a slow and steady stream. Batter will be very stiff. Transfer batter to a large bowl.

Clean and thoroughly dry the mixing bowl and whisk.  In the mixing bowl with the mixer on the highest speed, whisk together egg whites and sugar to form stiff peaks. (This is when the mixture will not fall over on itself when held upright. )

Gently fold the stiff egg whites into the cake batter in the big bowl until entirely incorporated into the batter. Be careful not to deflate the egg whites by over-mixing. Using a spatula, carefully transfer the cake batter into prepared springform pan.

Bake cake on center rack of oven approximately 20 – 25 minutes, until the middle of the cake registers 203°F on an instant-read thermometer.

Remove pan from oven and allow to cool on metal rack. Cake will fall and pull from sides of pan. Don’t worry! –  this is the desired result.

Mix together the powdered sugar, Ginger powder, and Honey powder. Sift sugar mixture over the cooled cake.

Serving suggestion: This dessert is excellent served with macerated or pickled fruits.

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Pride Spiced Cupcakes

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE CUPCAKES:
1 Cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more shortening for pans
1-1/2 Cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 tsp coarse salt
1/2 tsp ground korintje cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1 Cup packed light-brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 Cup buttermilk

FOR THE GLAZE:
1-3/4 Cups confectioners’ (powdered) sugar
4 Tbsp orange juice
Food coloring (optional)

Rainbow sprinkles (also optional)

STEPS:

Make cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350°F, with the racks arranged in upper and lower thirds (so you can fit in more than one pan at a time). Lightly butter 48 mini-muffin cups. In a bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat together the softened butter and brown sugar, on medium-high speed, until mixture is light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. While the mixer is going, add the in eggs, one at a time, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredient mixture in 3 additions, alternating the flour with two additions of milk. Beat well after each addition.

Transfer batter to the greased muffin tins by heaping tablespoonfuls. Bake cupcakes about 15 minutes, or until they look golden brown at edges. A toothpick, inserted in center of a cake, comes out clean. Rotate the pans once during the baking time.

Remove muffin pans from oven and allow the cupcakes to cool in the pans, 5 minutes, before transfering cupcakes to wire racks to cool completely.

Make glaze: In a bowl, whisk together the juice and confectioners’ sugar, beating mixture until frosting is smooth. Add 1 to 2 drops food coloring to the glaze if a colorful topping desired. Make sure to thoroughly mix the coloring throughout the the frosting. Spoon glaze over the cooled cakes.

For an extra festive touch, sprinkle glazed cupcakes with rainbow sprinkles. 🙂

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