Sour Cream Cake with Saffron Orange Glaze

Todays cake comes from the McCormick Shilling website.  They have a new "gourmet" collection with a batch of recipes to go with it.  The glaze on this cake is more like  a syrup and is made with Saffron.  I doubled it and baked it i a 9 x 13 bakin gpan.

Sour Cream Cake with Saffron Orange Glaze

INGREDIENTS

1 3/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons McCormick® Gourmet Collection Cream of Tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
1 1/3 cups sugar, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons McCormick® Pure Vanilla Extract
2 eggs
1 container (8 ounces) sour cream
3/4 cup orange juice
1/4 teaspoon McCormick® Gourmet Collection Saffron, Spanish

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease 9-inch round baking pan. Line bottom with wax paper circle; lightly grease wax paper.

2. Mix flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Set aside. Beat butter, 1 cup of the sugar and vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer on high speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs and sour cream; beat on low speed until well blended. Gradually add flour mixture, beating on low speed until well mixed. Spread evenly in prepared pan.

3. Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until cake pulls away from sides of pan and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes on wire rack. While cake is cooling in pan, mix orange juice, remaining 1/3 cup sugar and saffron in small saucepan. Bring to boil on medium heat, stirring constantly to dissolve sugar. Cover to keep warm.

4. Loosen cake from sides of pan with small knife or metal spatula. Invert cake onto serving plate. Pierce holes in hot cake with metal or wooden skewer. Spoon warm syrup evenly over hot cake. Let stand until cake has cooled and syrup has been absorbed. Garnish as desired.

Buttermilk-Blueberry Breakfast Cake

I forgot to post last weeks recipe so here it is!  I found this recipe on Pinterest which lead me to Alexandra's Kitchen.  It was a big hit!  I doubled the recipe and baked in a 9 x 13 baking pan.

BLUEBERRY-BUTTERMILK BREAKFAST CAKE

Serves 6-8

½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 tsp. lemon zest or more — zest from 1 large lemon
7/8 cup* + 1 tablespoon sugar**
1 egg, room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour (set aside 1/4 cup of this to toss with the blueberries)
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. kosher salt
2 cups fresh blueberries
½ cup buttermilk***
* 7/8 cup = 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons

** This 1 tablespoon is for sprinkling on top
*** To make homemade buttermilk, place 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice in a liquid measuring cup. Fill cup with milk until it reaches the 1-cup line. Let stand for five minutes. Use only 1/2 cup of the prepared mixture for the recipe.

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Cream butter with lemon zest and 7/8 cup of the sugar until light and fluffy.

2. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Meanwhile, toss the blueberries with ¼ cup of flour, then whisk together the remaining flour, baking powder and salt.
3. Add the flour mixture to the batter a little at a time, alternating with the buttermilk. Fold in the blueberries.

4. Grease a 9-inch square baking pan (or something similar) with butter or coat with non-stick spray. Spread batter into pan. Sprinkle batter with remaining tablespoon of sugar. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes. Check with a toothpick for doneness. If necessary, return pan to oven for a couple of more minutes. (Note: Baking for as long as 10 minutes more might be necessary.) Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving.

 

Sometimes You Feel Like a Nut...

Today's offering is from Epicurious.com.

 What's to say except, Yum!

Almond Joy Cheesecake

Crust

• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1 1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut, toasted
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted (about 2 ounces)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Filling

• 4 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut, toasted
• 1 tablespoon coconut extract
• 1 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Glaze

• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 3/4 cup whipping cream
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For crust: Preheat oven to 350°F. Wrap outside of 9-inch-diameter springform pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides with foil.  If you use a 10-inch-diameter pan you do not need the foil. 

 

Finely grind cracker crumbs, coconut, almonds and sugar in processor. Add butter; process until moist crumbs form. Press mixture onto bottom and 1 inch up sides of pan. Bake crust until set and beginning to brown, about 12 minutes. Cool. Reduce oven temperature to 325°F.

        

For filling: Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowl until smooth. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition. Mix in coconut and extract . Fold in almonds. Transfer filling to crust. Bake until cake is puffed and no longer moves when pan is shaken, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Cool completely on rack.

          

For glaze: Combine 1 cup chocolate chips, cream and vanilla in small saucepan. Stir over medium-low heat until smooth. Cool until glaze begins to thicken but can still be poured, about 30 minutes. Pour glaze over cooled cake; spread evenly. Chill cake overnight.

          

Run small knife around sides of cake to loosen. Release pan sides.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cake with Nutella Buttercream

Today's cake is a recipe from Babble.com.  It has kind of an unusual mix of ingredients.  Olive oil, instant pudding mix and sour cream.  The batter is glossy and gorgeous and it makes a dense chocolaty cake.  And you just can't go wrong with Nutella in your butter cream! 

Here's the recipe:

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Bundt

4 eggs
1 1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. olive oil
1 package instant chocolate pudding
1 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. baking powder
2/3 c. cocoa powder
1 1/2 c. flour
1 c. sour cream
½ c. water
1 c. mini chocolate chips

In a large bowl, beat together eggs, brown sugar, and olive oil, and instant pudding mix, creaming until very well mixed. Add salt, baking powder, cocoa powder, and flour. Beat just until incorporated. Add sour cream and water, and beat again just until incorporated. Fold in mini chocolate chips, then scoop batter into a bundt pan which has been generously greased and floured (use cocoa powder, instead of flour, for a nice chocolaty finish to the outside of your cake). Bake in an oven preheated to 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes, or just until the center part of the cake ring springs back to the touch. Watch your cake closely! You don’t want to overcook it! Once cooked, wait for the cake to cool to the touch before turning it out onto a cooling rack. Allow to cool, then cover tightly in plastic wrap and store in the fridge overnight before frosting.

Nutella Butter Cream

½ c. Nutella
12 Tbsp. butter, slightly softened
3 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1-2 T. milk

In a large bowl, beat together Nutella and butter until smooth and fluffy. Slowly add powdered sugar, beating well to incorporate. Add as much milk as needed to make frosting fluffy, but soft enough to spread. Spread on cooled Chocolate Chocolate Chip bundt cake.