Strawberry Yogurt Cake

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We went strawberry picking this weekend! The pick-your-own orchard down the street from us didn’t have strawberries available this year. Their beds aren’t covered, so the frost got to all the blossoms. Total bummer! As it worked out though, here on the Eastern Shore, there is never a strawberry patch too far in the horizon.

We went to the homebrew shop on Saturday, and on the way there was a farm that had pick-your-own berries available. You take a tractor ride to get to the patch, and Andrew has been talking it ever since. Took virtually no time to fill up 2 boxes of berries, totaling about 17 lbs. Andrew was a great helper this year too! He did a great job only picking the ripest and reddest of berries.

I’ve got some great stuff in the pipeline with these beauties! First off, this delicious strawberry yogurt cake. I whipped this up on Saturday night to enjoy as a light breakfast on Mother’s Day morning. So fresh, light (yet dense!), and incredibly moist – it was the perfect treat with my cup of coffee on Sunday. Came together really easily with ingredients you more than likely already have in your fridge and pantry. As an extra bonus, I got to use my Bundt pan, which I often feel gets neglected. Berry season is in full swing here on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, and is heading north. Get while the gettins’ good, folks! Enjoy!

Strawberry Yogurt Cake

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
3 Tb. lemon juice, divided
Zest of 1 lemon
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, divided
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
8 oz. plain or vanilla, Greek yogurt
1/3 cup buttermilk or milk
1 tsp vanilla exract
12 oz. fresh strawberries, diced
1 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 325*. Grease and flour a 10 inch Bundt pan (10-15 cup pan.) Sift together the 2 ¼ cups of flour, baking soda and salt. Mix in the lemon zest and set aside.

With an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in 1 Tb. lemon juice. Alternate beating in the flour mixture and the yogurt, mixing just until incorporated. Add the buttermilk and the vanilla, and mix until combined.

Toss the strawberries with the remaining ¼ cup of flour. Gently mix them into the batter.

Pour the batter into the Bundt pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Allow to cool at least 20 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely. Once cooled whisk together the remaining 2 Tb. of lemon juice and the powdered sugar. Drizzle over the top of the cake.

Source: adapted from A Spicy Perspective

Beatty’s Chocolate Cake

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I’m not stretching the truth when I say that this is the best chocolate cake you’ve probably ever had in your life. Sure, it may not be enrobed in a layer of fancy ganache, or umpteen pencil-thin layers. This is a cake your grandmother would have made. I entered it in my local fair last year, and it took 1st prize. For this small town, that is a whole lot of prestige, people.

The cake is dark and super moist – yet, very light and airy. The secret is the hot cup of coffee in the batter. And then, there’s the frosting. Oh, the frosting. Rich and chocolaty with a hint of coffee from a touch of instant espresso powder. Isn’t it funny how adding a bit of coffee can really help to boost the different notes in chocolate? Love it! It’s an easy cake to make too. Bakes beautifully, and the frosting is very easy to spread and work with. My favorite cake, hands down. I’m confident it will continue to be a favorite for many years to come!

Beatty’s Chocolate Cake

Butter, for greasing the pans
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
2 cups sugar
3/4 cups good cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk, shaken
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee
Chocolate Buttercream, recipe follows

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 8-inch x 2-inch round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans.

Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

Place 1 layer, flat side up, on a flat plate or cake pedestal. With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with frosting. Place the second layer on top, rounded side up, and spread the frosting evenly on the top and sides of the cake.

Chocolate Frosting:

6 ounces good semisweet chocolate (recommended: Callebaut)
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 extra-large egg yolk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
1 tablespoon instant coffee powder

Chop the chocolate and place it in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir until just melted and set aside until cooled to room temperature.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until light yellow and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and continue beating for 3 minutes. Turn the mixer to low, gradually add the confectioners’ sugar, then beat at medium speed, scraping down the bowl as necessary, until smooth and creamy. Dissolve the coffee powder in 2 teaspoons of the hottest tap water. On low speed, add the chocolate and coffee to the butter mixture and mix until blended. Don’t whip! Spread immediately on the cooled cake.

Source: Barefoot Contessa At Home by Ina Garten

Margarita Cupcakes

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I’d been wanting to make these cupcakes for eons it seems, but I was always a little bit thrown off by them. Who wants a margarita cupcake, when there is chocolate or red velvet to be had? Silly girl. We had a newlywed couple over for dinner earlier this week, so I took the opportunity to make them for dessert. Jamie is always declaring my previous cupcake creations “the best she’s ever had”, but she says this one now takes the cake (no pun intended!). It’s a new favorite in my book as well!

The flavors are so light and refreshing, and even with the additional tequila/orange liqueur brushed onto the cupcakes when cooling, they weren’t too boozy. Just a hint! And I loved all the lime zest in the batter. My hands reeked of lime all day long after making these! I’d made Swiss meringue buttercream some time ago, and I remember not being impressed. This frosting, however, was a completely different story. Even while beating, I was unsure. I thought it would be too sweet, and it seemed runny – “I’ll never be able to pipe this”, I thought. Then, all of a sudden, it came together magically to form the perfect consistency. Piped beau-ti-fully. And, definitely not too sweet. Loved, loved, loved it!

I also topped the cupcakes with a sprinkling of fleur-de-sel right before serving. Something about the occasional salty bite hiding in the fluffly cloud of frosting that really “sealed the deal” for me – just like a margarita. Make these now!

Margarita Cupcakes

For the Cupcakes:
3 cups flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temp
2 cups sugar
4 eggs, at room temp
3 limes, zested and juiced
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup tequila (or half tequila/half orange liqueur, optional)

For the Tequila-Lime Buttercream:
2 cups sugar
8 egg whites
3 sticks butter, room temperature
2 1/2 Tbsp lime juice
2 Tbsp Tequila
lime zest and wedges, for topping
fleur-de-sel, for garnish

Preheat oven to 325. Prepare muffin tins with paper liners or baking spray.

Whisk flour, baking powder and salt together and set aside. Cream butter and sugar on a high until pale, light, and fluffy (about 5 minutes). Add eggs one at at time, mixing thoroughly before adding the next one.Add lime zest and lime juice. Add vanilla.

Turn mixer to low. Add the dry ingredients in three batches, alternating with the buttermilk in two batches. Mix only until just incorporated. Fill each muffin cup ~3/4 full. Bake for 25 minutes or until a skewer shows only moist crumbs attached, rotating the pans at the halfway point.

Allow cupcakes to cool completely in the pans before removing. While the cupcakes are still warm, brush the tops with tequila or tequila/orange mixture if desired.

To make the frosting, place the stand mixer bowl over a simmering pot of water (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water). Whisk the sugar and egg whites until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture registers 160 degrees with a candy thermometer.

Place bowl on the stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and whisk on high speed until the mixture is cool and holds stiff, glossy peaks (approximately 10 minutes).

Change to the paddle attachment and beat in one tablespoon of butter at a time on medium. The mixture might appear curdled but keep beating, it will pull back together.

Add lime juice and 1 Tbsp tequila. Increase speed to high and beat until the frosting reincorporates and is smooth and fluffy. Beat in remaining tablespoon of tequila, if desired.

Frost the cooled cupcakes with the buttercream as desired.  Garnish with lime zest,  lime slices, and fleur-de-sel.

Source: slightly adapted from Confessions of a Foodie Bride

Coconut Crème Brûlée

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Crème brûlée has always been one of my favorite desserts. The first time I had it I was probably 12 or 13. My best friend’s mom worked in DC, and sometimes we were fortunate enough to tag along. Her boss at the time was a lobbyist, so he knew all the good spots in town, and enjoyed taking “the girls” out to a nice lunch. We always chose McCormick & Schmicks, for the fist-sized fried shrimp – and, the crème brûlée. There’s just something about that sweet, cold custard underneath a crunchy layer of caramelized sugar. I was young, but even at that tender age, I recognized.

No matter how many times I’ve indulged in it since those days of yore, I never tired of it. It’s relatively easy to make at home (you don’t even need a torch!), and is super impressive. There are also about a million different ways you can “spin” it – seems like I’m always finding a new flavor combo for this decadent dessert.

The coconut was just perfect! It wasn’t overwhelming, but it was definitely present. I came across a couple recipes, but settled on this one because it used coconut milk. Several recipes called for adding shredded coconut to the custard, and I didn’t like the sound of that. I like the custard to be smooth, and the coconut milk kept that smoothness, but also added a ton of coconut flavor. I also felt like it was a bit lighter than a traditional custard since it uses less heavy cream than most recipes call for. I hope you enjoy this tropical twist on a classic as much as we did.

Coconut Crème Brûlée

1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. cornstarch
8 large egg yolks
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 can (13-1/2- to 14-oz.) coconut milk
4 tsp. fine raw sugar or granulated sugar for caramelizing

Heat the oven to 300°F. Sift the sugar and cornstarch together into a medium bowl. Whisk in the egg yolks. Whisk in the cream and coconut milk until blended. Pour the mixture through a fine strainer and into a large measuring cup with a pouring spout.

Set four 6-oz. ramekins in a deep baking dish or roasting pan. Divide the custard evenly among the ramekins. Set the pan on the middle rack of the oven. Carefully pour hot water into the pan until it comes halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake for 30 minutes and then tent the pan loosely with foil (if it’s tight, the custard will curdle) and bake until the centers of the custard shudder gently when the ramekins are tapped, another 25 minutes (start checking at 20 minutes).

Remove the pan from the oven. Remove the ramekins from the water bath and cool slightly before refrigerating for several hours or overnight.

Just before serving, sprinkle each custard with a thin layer of fine sugar, about 1 tsp. per custard. Caramelize the sugar by using either of the methods described below.

For the torch method:
Use a slow, sweeping motion to guide the flame directly on the surface of the custard; the nozzle should be 2 to 3 inches from the surface so the flame just licks the sugar. The topping is done when the entire surface is a glossy brown.

For the broiler method:
Position the oven rack so the custards will be 2 to 3 inches from the broiler, and heat the broiler. Return the ramekins to the baking dish. Fill the dish with ice water almost to the top of the custards. Position the pan under the heat source. The sugar should begin to caramelize in 3 to 4 min.; watch carefully so they don’t burn.

Source: Fine Cooking, February 2000