Carrot Cake

Even something so simple as a carrot cake can become a very elegant and festive dessert when someone like the White House Executive Pastry Chef shows us how he decorates it. The frosting is delicious and the cake is moist and fruity because he adds mandarine oranges to the batter. Try it yourself and tell me what you think.


Carrot Cake:
3 cups light brown sugar, packed (16 oz, 454 g)
1 1/2 cups veg. oil (10.75 oz, 305 g)
2 1/4 cups all purpose flower 12 oz, 340 g)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda (.25 oz, 10 g)
1 teaspoon cinnamon (5 g)
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs (5.5 oz, 155 g)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (.25 oz, 5 g)
2 cups grated carrots (7 oz, 200 g)
2 (11 oz) cans mandarin oranges drained ( 312 g)
1 1/4 cups chopped walnuts, lightly toasted (4.75 oz, 132 g)

Cream Cheese Icing:
1 cup cream cheese, room temperature (8oz, 227 g)
1/4 pound unsalted butter(1 stick ), room temperature (113 g)
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar,sifted (2 oz, 60 g)
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed orange juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For The Cake

Place a rack in the center of the oven. Grease two 8-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms wit parchment paper.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the brown sugar and oil until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes (this didn't work out when I tried it).

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. With the mixer set on low speed, beat in half of the dry mixture just to combine.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping after each addition. Add the vanilla and beat to combine.

Beat in the remaining half of the dry mixture, just to combine.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Using a spatula, fold in the carrots, 1 cup (8 oz, 225 g) of the mandarin oranges, and 1 cup (3.75 oz, 105 g) of the walnuts. Scrape the batter into the cake pans, and bake for 60 to 70 minutes or until a tester inserted into the center of the layers comes out clean.

Allow the cake layers to cool in the pans for 10  minutes, then invert them onto a wire rack, peeling off the parchment rounds, to cool completely.

For The Icing

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the cream cheese and butter until no lumps remain, about 5 minutes.

Add the confectioners' sugar, orange juice, and vanilla and beat until the sugar is completely absorbed and the icing thickens, another 5 minutes.

To Assemble

When the cake has completely cooled, spread the top of one layer with 1/3 of the cream cheese icing. Scatter the remaining mandarin oranges over the icing.

Sandwich the remaining cake layer and frost the top and sides. Place the remaining 1/4 cup of walnuts in a circle around the top of the cake.

Beaumes-de-Venise Cake

Have you ever had a cake that was made with grapes? If not, this recipe is a must. It is  a wonderful, elegant yet rustic cake. It is easy to make and incredibly moist. It has a subtle citrus flavor with a slight taste of grapes. The batter contains olive oil and butter which gives the cake a very complex aroma. Try it for yourself, you will not be disapointed.

Beaumes-de-Venise Cake
(from Bon Appetit)


Ingredients

1 ½ cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¾ cup plus 2 tbsp sugar
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1 teaspoon grated orange peel
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup Beaumes-de-Venise or other Muscat wine
1 ½ cups red seedless grapes (smaller is better), washed and dried

Preheat oven to 400°F. Brush 10-inch-diameter springform pan with olive oil. Line bottom of pan with parchment; brush parchment with olive oil.

Sift flour and next 3 ingredients into bowl. Whisk 3/4 cup sugar, 6 tablespoons butter and 3 tablespoons oil in large bowl until smooth. Whisk in eggs, both peels and vanilla. Add flour mixture alternately with wine in 3 additions each, whisking just until smooth after each addition. Transfer batter to prepared pan; smooth top. Sprinkle grapes over batter.

Bake cake until top is set, about 20 minutes. Dot top of cake with 2 tablespoons butter; sprinkle 2 tablespoons sugar over. Bake until golden and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 20 minutes longer. Cool in pan on rack 20 minutes. Release pan sides. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

Black Beauty Cupcakes

I know cupcakes are a big deal in the US. However, I have never really liked then, as they are usually boring.  Overly sweet cake mixes are topped with even sweeter frosting. These babies however are totally different!!

Rich chocolate flavor in a slightly dense chocolate cake  is topped with a velvety bittersweet ganache. This is how a cupcake should taste!

Ingredients:

Cupcakes
½ cup of Dutch-processed cocoa powder, divided
1 ½ cups of all purpose flour, divided
1 cup of hot water
1 cup of superfine sugar (I used regular white sugar)
1 ½ teaspoons of baking soda
¼ teaspoon of fine sea salt
¾ cup of mayonnaise

Ganache
1 ⅓ cups heavy cream
12 ounces bittersweet chocolate (I used Ghiradelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chips) finely chopped
4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes, at room temperature

Preparation:

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

Place foil cupcake liners in tins. (I like foil because they have a better weight than paper.) If you choose to make the cupcakes liner free, then butter the insides of 12 muffin cups. Sift together 2 tablespoons of the cocoa and 2 tablespoons of the flour. Dust the insides of the molds with this mixture and tap out the excess.
Combine cocoa powder and the hot water in the bowl of a heavy-duty stand mixer. Whisk to dissolve the cocoa. Whisk in the sugar. Attach the bowl to the mixer and fix with the paddle attachment. Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt together. With the mixer on low speed, in thirds, add the flour mixture, alternating with two equal additions of the mayonnaise, and mix, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, until the batter is smooth. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups and fill 3/4 full.

Bake until a cake tester inserted in a cake comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Gently remove the cakes onto the rack and let cool completely.

To make the ganache, bring the heavy cream to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate. Let stand for 3 minutes, then whisk until smooth. Add the butter, whisking until it has totally melted into the chocolate. Transfer to a bowl and let cool on a wire rack until the ganache thickens to a glaze consistency and the cupcakes can be dipped or allow it to become thicker and frost the cupcakes.  

Apple Sharlotka

Whenever I find a tempting recipe for apple cake I put it on my pile of recipes that I have to make as soon as I get a chance.
This recipe was on top of my pile and and it was such an easy and fast cake that I am sure that I will make it again soon. The cake is very light and moist and piled with apples. It is also great served with ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream !

• Apple Sharlotka
• (from smitten kitchen)
• 
  
• 
  
• Butter or nonstick spray, for greasing pan
• 6 large, tart apples, such as Granny Smiths
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup (125 grams) all-purpose flour
• Ground cinnamon, to finish
• Powdered sugar, also to finish

1. Preheat oven to 350F / 180 C degrees.

2. Line the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper. Butter the paper and the sides of the pan. Peel, halve and core your apples, then chop them into medium-sized chunks. (I cut each half into four “strips” then sliced them fairly thinly — about 1/4-inch — in the other direction.) Pile the cut apples directly in the prepared pan. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, using an electric mixer or whisk, beat eggs with sugar until thick and ribbons form on the surface of the beaten eggs. Beat in vanilla, then stir in flour with a spoon until just combined. The batter will be very thick.

3. Pour over apples in pan, using a spoon or spatula to spread the batter so that it covers all exposed apples. (Updated to clarify: Spread the batter and press it down into the apple pile. The top of the batter should end up level with the top of the apples.) Bake in preheated oven for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a tester comes out free of batter. Cool in pan for 10 minutes on rack, then flip out onto another rack, peel off the parchment paper, and flip it back onto a serving platter. Dust lightly with ground cinnamon. Serve warm or cooled, dusted with powdered sugar. 

Angel Food Cake

An Angel Food Cake is a great way to use up left over egg whites. This recipe is from Alton Brown. The cake is fluffy and light and flavored with a little bit of orange extract. It tastes great with a fruit compote or fruit sauce.  Make sure to cut it with a serrated knife so that it doesn't collapse.

Angel Food Cake

   (10 - 12 servings)

1 ¾ cups sugar ¼ teaspoon salt 1 cup cake flour, sifted 12 egg whites, the closer to room temperature the better ⅓ cup warm water 1 teaspoon orange extract = (or extract of your choice) 1 ½ teaspoons cream of tartar 1.Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. 2.In a food processor spin sugar about 2 minutes until it is superfine. Sift half of the sugar with the salt and the cake flour, setting the remaining sugar aside. 3.In a large bowl, use a balloon whisk to thoroughly combine egg whites, water, orange extract, and cream of tartar. After 2 minutes, switch to a hand mixer. Slowly sift the reserved sugar, beating continuously at medium speed. Once you have achieved medium peaks, sift enough of the flour mixture in to dust the top of the foam. Using a spatula fold in gently. Continue until all of the flour mixture is incorporated. 4.Carefully spoon mixture into an ungreased tube pan. Bake for 35 minutes before checking for doneness with a wooden skewer. (When inserted halfway between the inner and outer wall, the skewer should come out dry). 5.Cool upside down on cooling rack for at least an hour before removing from pan. Cook's Note: Since they're easier to separate, use the freshest eggs you can get.

Sweet and Salty Chocolate Cake

It might be too late to bake this cake as an elegant Thanksgiving dessert but it is definitely not too late to add it to your "to-do" list for the upcoming holiday season. This cake tastes to great, that the time it takes to prepare it will be rewarded with a dessert full of deep, dark, chocolate flavor, oozing salted caramel and chocolate ganache. It is a rich cake, but that's what makes it so incredibly good!

Sweet & Salty Chocolate Cake
adapted from danatreat.com  and 
Baked, New Frontiers in Baking 

Note from Dana:
Now that I have made this cake twice, I have a few pointers. The cakes themselves can be made up to a week in advance, wrapped well in plastic and then foil, and frozen. Let them thaw overnight at room temperature. The caramel sauce can be made a few days in advance, bring it to room temperature before using, otherwise it will be too hard to spread. When making the caramel, be sure to use a medium size saucepan for the water and sugar mixture. You may be tempted to use something small because the volume isn’t that large initially. Once you add the cream, it will bubble vigorously and you need the extra space. On that same note, be very careful when you add the cream – the steam is a big burn hazard. Lastly, the caramel goes from just perfect to burned in about one second, so take it off the heat just before you think it is ready. The residual heat will continue to cook it.


For the Classic Chocolate Layers

¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 ¼ cups hot water
⅔ cup sour cream
2 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
½ cup vegetable shortening
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
For the Salted Caramel
½ cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon fleur de sel
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
¼ cup sour cream

For the Whipped Caramel Ganache Frosting


1 lb. dark chocolate (60 to 70% cacao), chopped
1 ½ cups heavy cream
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, soft but cool, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
To Assemble the Cake
2 teaspoons fleur de sel, plus more for garnish
Make the Classic Chocolate Cake Layers
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Butter three 8-inch round cake pans, line the bottoms with parchment paper, and butter the parchment. Dust with flour, and knock out the excess flour.

In a medium bowl, combine the cocoa powder, hot water, and sour cream and set aside to cool.
Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together into a medium bowl and set aside.

In the bowl in an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and shortening on medium speed until ribbonlike, about 5 minutes. Add the sugars and beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, then add the vanilla and beat until incorporated. Scrape down the bowl and mix again for 30 seconds.

Add the flour mixture, alternating with the cocoa mixture, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.
Divide the batter among the prepared pans and smooth the tops.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, rotating halfway through the baking time, until a toothpick inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean. Transfer the cakes to a wire rack and let cool for 20 minutes. Invert the cakes on the rack, remove the pans, and let cool completely.

Make the Salted Caramel


In a small saucepan, combine the cream and fleur de sel. Bring to a simmer over very low heat until the salt is dissolved.
Meanwhile, keeping a close on the cream mixture so it doesn’t burn, in a medium saucepan combine 1/4 cup water, the sugar, and corn syrup, stirring them together carefully so you don’t splash the sides of the pan. Cook over high heat until and instant-read thermometer read 350°F, 6 to 8 minutes.(I took my from the heat at 300 F) Remove from the heat and let cool for 1 minute.

Add the cream mixture to the sugar mixture. Whisk in the sour cream. Let the caramel cool to room temperature, then transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate until you are ready to assemble the cake.

Make the Whipped Caramel Ganache Frosting


Put the chocolate in a large heatproof bowl and set aside.
In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a simmer over very low heat.
Meanwhile, keeping a close on the cream mixture so it doesn’t burn, in a medium saucepan combine 1/4 cup water, the sugar, and corn syrup, stirring them together carefully so you don’t splash the sides of the pan. Cook over high heat until and instant-read thermometer read 350°F, 6 to 8 minutes(I took my from the heat at 300 F) . Remove from the heat and let cool for 1 minute.

Add the cream to the caramel and stir to combine. Stir slowly for 2 minutes, then pour the caramel over the chocolate. Let the caramel and chocolate sit for 1 minutes, then, starting in the center of the bowl, and working your way out to the edges, slowly stir the chocolate and caramel mixture in a circle until the chocolate is completely melted. Let the mixture cool, then transfer it to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.

Mix on low speed until the bowl feels cool to the touch. Increase the speed to medium-high and gradually add the butter, beating until thoroughly incorporated. Scrape down the bowl and beat on high speed until the mixture is fluffy.

Assemble the Cake

Place one cake layer on a serving platter. Spread 1/4 cup of the caramel over the top. Let the caramel soak into the cake, then spread 3/4 cup of the ganache frosting over the caramel. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of the fleur de sel over the frosting, then top with the second cake layer.
Spread with caramel, then the caramel frosting and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of the fleur de sel. Then top with the third layer. Spread with caramel. Crumb coat the cake and put the cake in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to firm up the frosting. Frost the sides and top with the remaining frosting. Garnish with a sprinkle of fleur de sel.


The cake will keep in a cake saver at room temperature (cool and humidity free) for up to 3 days. If your room is not cool, place the cake in a cake saver and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Remove the cake from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for at least 2 hours before serving.

Mango Bread

I stumbled over this recipe when I was looking for something to bring to a breakfast. It is a quick bread from Dorie Greenspan and when I read the recipe it sounded like just the right thing to bring. It is a quick batter with pieces of juicy Mango, Golden Raisins, Cinnamon and Ginger. When it came out of the oven my kitchen smelled wonderful like fall and cinnamon. It tasted even better the next day and was just the right thing to bring to the breakfast.

Mango Bread

Source: Dorie Greenspan’s Baking: From My Home to Yours

Ingredients:

• 3 large eggs
• 3/4 cup flavorless oil, such as canola or safflower oil
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar
• 2 cups diced mango (from 1 large peeled and pitted mango)
• 3/4 cup moist, plump golden raisins (omitted)
• Grated zest of 1/2 a lime

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and place a rack in the center notch. Also, butter and flour a standard bread loaf pan and place the loaf pan on a cookie sheet. Since the bread will be baking for a long time, the cookie sheet will act as an insulator to prevent the bottom of the bread from burning.
2. Whisk the eggs and oil together in a mixing bowl. In another bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices. Rub the brown sugar between your hands to ensure there are no lumps and add to the dry mixture.
3. Pour the wet mixture into the dry, and using a sturdy spoon or spatula, mix the dough. Just to note, this dough will seem very thick, so you just have to keep mixing and it will get a little more manageable to work with.
4. Stir in the mango, raisins and zest until just incorporated and spoon the dough into your loaf pan. Spread the dough evenly.
5. Bake the bread for 1 1/2 hours. Check the bread ever so often to make sure the top isn’t getting too brown. If it is, just place some foil over the bread for the remaining part of the baking.
6. When finished baking, allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes and then take the bread out of the loaf pan and allow to cool on a cooling rack.

Sour Cream Coffee Cake with Brown Sugar Pecan Streusel

It is not that easy to find the right recipe for a good coffee cake. This cake is the 3rd recipe I tried out so far and it is definetly a keeper. It promises that the cake will keep fresh for 5 days. I can't tell you if that is true however, because our cake was devoured within two days. (But on the second day the cake was still very moist.) The filling adds a nice sweet crunch on the inside and the crumbly cinnamon crust on the top enhances the flavor of the cake. 

Sour Cream Coffee Cake
(from Cooks Illustrated)

Refer to the illustrations below when layering the batter and streusel in the pan. A fixed-bottom, 10-inch tube pan (with 10-cup capacity) is best for this recipe. Note that the streusel is divided into two parts—one for the inner swirls, one for the topping.

INGREDIENTS

Streusel
3/4	cup unbleached all-purpose flour (3 3/4 ounces)
3/4	cup granulated sugar (5 1/4 ounces)
1/2	cup packed dark brown sugar (3 1/2 ounces)
2	tablespoons ground cinnamon
2	tablespoons unsalted butter , cold, cut into 2 pieces
1	cup pecans , chopped
Cake
12	tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), softened but still cool, cut into 1/2-inch cubes, plus 2 tablespoons softened butter for greasing pan
4	large eggs
1 1/2	cups sour cream
1	tablespoon vanilla extract
2 1/4	cups unbleached all-purpose flour (11 1/2 ounces)
1 1/4	cups granulated sugar (8 3/4 ounces)
1	tablespoon baking powder
3/4	teaspoon baking soda
3/4	teaspoon table salt

INSTRUCTIONS

1. 1. For the streusel: In food processor, process flour, granulated sugar, 1/4 cup dark brown sugar, and cinnamon until combined, about 15 seconds. Transfer 1 1/4 cups of flour/sugar mixture to small bowl; stir in remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar and set aside to use for streusel filling. Add butter and pecans to mixture in food processor; pulse until nuts and butter resemble small pebbly pieces, about ten 1-second pulses. Set aside to use as streusel topping.
2. 2. For the cake: Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 10-inch tube pan with 2 tablespoons softened butter. Whisk eggs, 1 cup sour cream, and vanilla in medium bowl until combined.
3. 3. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in bowl of standing mixer; mix on low speed for 30 seconds to blend. Add butter and remaining 1/2 cup sour cream; mix on low speed until dry ingredients are moistened and mixture resembles wet sand, with few large butter pieces remaining, about 1 1/2 minutes. Increase to medium speed and beat until batter comes together, about 10 seconds; scrape down sides of bowl with rubber spatula. Lower speed to medium-low and gradually add egg mixture in 3 additions, beating for 20 seconds after each and scraping down sides of bowl. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until batter is light and fluffy, about 1 minute.
4. 4. Using rubber spatula, spread 2 cups batter in bottom of prepared pan, smoothing surface. Sprinkle evenly with 3/4 cup streusel filling (without butter or nuts). Repeat with another 2 cups batter and remaining 3/4 cup streusel filling (without butter or nuts). Spread remaining batter over, then sprinkle with streusel topping (with butter and nuts).
5. 5. Bake until cake feels firm to touch and long toothpick or skewer inserted into center comes out clean (bits of sugar from streusel may cling to tester), 50 to 60 minutes. Cool cake in pan on wire rack 30 minutes. Invert cake onto rimmed baking sheet (cake will be streusel-side down); remove tube pan, place wire rack on top of cake, and reinvert cake streusel-side up. Cool to room temperature, about 2 hours. Cut into wedges and serve. (Cake can be wrapped in foil and stored at room temperature for up to 5 days.)

LAYERING THE BATTER AND STREUSEL

1. Using rubber spatula, spread 2 cups batter in bottom of prepared pan, smoothing surface.

2. Sprinkle evenly with 3/4 cup streusel filling without butter or nuts.

3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 with 2 cups batter and remaining streusel without butter or nuts.

4. Spread remaining batter over, then sprinkle with streusel topping with butter and nuts.

Chocolate Cake

When it comes to chocolate cake, everybody has his personal favorite recipe. This recipe is my favorite. Whenever a birthday is coming up it has to be this cake. It is incredibly moist and aromatic. Can you see how moist it is in the picture? Almost like a brownie. In addition it is easy to make, comes together in a couple of minutes, and stays fresh for at least 3 days. Who can resist a cake like that?

About This Recipe

"I love this cake. As Nigella says: "the essence of all that is desirable in chocolate - dark intensity isn't toyed with nor upstaged by any culinary elaboration. The plainest of plain loaf cakes - damp, heady, aromatic!" What can I say? Be sure to line the tin well."

Ingredients

• 225 g / 1 cup salt soft unsalted butter
• 375 g / 1 2/3 cups dark brown sugar (I use only 200 g)
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 100 g / 4oz best dark chocolate, melted
• 200 g / 1 1/3 cup plain flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda250 ml / 1cup plus 2 tablespoons boiling water

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 190C/gas5. Grease and line a 23x13x7cm cm (9x5x3in) loaf tin. Cream the butter and sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla, beating in well.
2. Next fold in the melted and cooled chocolate, taking care to blend well but do not overbeat.
3. You want the ingredients combined: you don't want a light airy mass. Gently add the flour, to which you've added the bicarb, alternately spoon by spoon, with 250 ml of boiling water until you have a smooth and fairly liquid batter.
4. Pour into the lined loaf tin and bake for 30 minutes. Turn the oven down to 170C/gas mark 3 and cook for another 15 minutes. The cake will still be a bit squidgy inside, so an inserted cake tester or skewer won't come out completely clean.
5. Plaace the loaf tin on a rack and leave to get completely cold before turning it out. It improves if left for a day or so before eating. This cake will probably sink in the middle because of its denseness.

Orange-Almond Cake

One of my daughter's best friends, Katie has a Gluten Allergy. When she came over and my daughter told her that I had made a cake without gluten she was really excited to try it since she said she usually couldn't eat cake; she was even more excited when she tried it and realized it was very moist and full of flavor.

It is made with whole, yes whole! oranges, which are cooked for two hours and then pureed and mixed with eggs, sugar and almonds. The result is a very moist, slightly bitter cake. If you don't like orange marmalade this cake is not for you, but if you do you are in for a treat.

My daughter loves lemon cake and suggested that you could also try using lemons instead of oranges. I think this could be a good idea but you might have to alter the recipe. The cake tastes even better the second day and I guess it will keep fresh for at least 4 - 5 days in the fridge. Buy organic oranges of good quality because you are using the skin too.

Orange-Almond Cake
(adapted from Nigella Lawson)

2 oranges
6 large eggs (I used 7)
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (225 grams) sugar (I used 250 g)
2 1/3 cups (250 grams) ground almonds
1 heaping teaspoon baking powder

Optional: Powdered sugar for dusting, or for making a glaze

Put the oranges in a pot with cold water to cover, bring to the boil, and cook for 2 hours. Drain and, when cool, cut each orange in half and remove the seeds. Then finely chop the skins, pith, and fruit in the processor (or by hand, of course).(Can be made a day ahead)

Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).

Butter and line an 8-inch (21 centimeter) springform pan with parchment paper. I used a 9-inch (24 cm), it worked fine.

Beat the eggs. Add the sugar, almonds, and baking powder. Mix well, adding the chopped oranges.

Pour the cake mixture into the prepared pan and bake for 30 to 50 minutes (mine was done after 45 min.), when a skewer will come out clean; you might have to cover the cake with foil after about 20 to 30 minutes to stop the top from over-browning.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool, in the pan on a rack. When the cake is cold, you can take it out of the pan and dust it with powdered sugar. The cake is best on the second day.

Variations: Nigella says she’s also made this with an equal weight of oranges and lemons, in which case the sugar is increased to 1 1/4 cups.

Lemon Pound Cake

A very special young lady who is studying in France at the moment,  asked me to post a recipe for a cake that I usually make for my kids on their birthday. With a snowstorm hitting Chicago right now I had some extra time on my hands so I am happy to post it for her today. 

It is a very easy yet delicious pound cake, but it needs a special ingredient. The special ingredient for this cake is love. With the right amount of love you can turn the simplest recipe into something wonderful and you can taste the love throughout this cake. For this  reason you don't need baking powder or baking soda.  Just equal amounts of eggs, butter, sugar, flour and a pinch of salt. I also add some vanilla and the juice of 1 lemon for a more subtle flavor, but you don't have to.  A scale comes in handy here. If you don't have one, go and get one it makes your life much easier especially when you are baking.

Lemon Pound cake

230g butter
230g sugar
230g flour
4 eggs (230 g)
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon of vanilla
optional:
zest of one lemon
juice of two lemons
powdered sugar

Every ingredient has to be at room temperature (very important: 1. step of love) I don't use a mixer or blender, just a wire whip and a wooden spoon. First, I weigh the eggs (without shell) and according to that weight I weigh out the other ingredients. Everything needs to be of the same weight.Cream the butter and the sugar with a whisk until they are very foamy, at least 4 minutes (2. step of love). Then you add the eggs, one after the other waiting until each one is fully incorporated. Add the zest and juice of 1 lemon and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Now carefully fold in the sifted flower. Don't overwork the dough. Line a cake pan neatly with two strips of baking paper so that everybody else can see the love and the cake will look professional. Scrape in the dough, tap the form 2 - 3 times on the counter and let it rest for 30 min. In the meantime heat the oven to 350F/180C.

Bake for 50 - 60 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes on a rack and then lift the cake out of the pan. Poke some wholes with a wooden skewer into the cake and pour the juice of the 2nd lemon over the cake.

Let cool completely. Sprinkle with powdered sugar or lemon frosting (mix powdererd sugar with juice of 1/2 lemon) or any other frosting of your choice.  Bon appetit mon amie!