Make America Cake Again: Historical Election Cake

I have had election cake marked to try ever since I was doing research on baked goods associated with each state. But in this election year, it seemed like the appropriate time. I don't often mix baking with politics, except for that time I was trying to start a trend to Take Back the Tea Party.

When I started poking around the internet again, I saw a surge in recent news stories and blog posts about Election Cake. NPR interviewed the two bakers from the OWL Bakery in Asheville, NC, who are leading the charge. Asheville is only an hour north of me, so I felt a greater kinship with their project.

That also helped me pick a recipe, too. The OWL version incorporates local ingredients and natural leavening. I will post their version with my own modifications below.

I found others on Serious Eats and What's Cooking America, all versions of the often cited original recipe. one that came before women had the right to vote, before baking powder, and in an era when voting was a party. Women would bake cakes and bring booze to coax the rich white landowner voting types to cast their ballots. Voting was more of a party and less of a drag. We need to bring back this feeling to voting day, in my humble opinion. It always feels like you aren't even supposed to speak in a normal voice in the precinct.

These days, lady voters like myself can make an election cake AND stand in line to vote. While the precinct is unlikely to have any alcohol or baked goods, I can provide a cake with a little booze in it to reward coworkers who have voted. Most of the alcohol should burn off in the baking, I think? Ha. (The raisins soaked in brandy and apple flavored Jim Bean overnight.)

Election Cake

Day 1 (Prepare Preferment)

Using Sourdough Starter:

240 ml whole milk ~70º F (280 g)

¼ cup active starter — 100% hydrated (75 g)

           2 ¼ cups All Purpose or whole wheat pastry flour (280 g)

OR

Using Instant Yeast:

275 ml milk ~70º F (320 g)

           ¼ tsp instant yeast (1 g)

           2 ¼ cups plus 2 Tbsp All Purpose or whole wheat pastry flour (320 g)

          

Combine milk and sourdough starter or yeast and mix thoroughly until starter or yeast is well dispersed in the milk mixture. Add flour and mix vigorously until the starter is consistent and smooth. Scrape the sides of your bowl and cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap. Allow your starter to ferment for 8-12 hours at room temperature. When ready to use, your preferment will have bubbles covering the surface.

Soak Dried Fruits

If you plan to use dried fruits in your cake, we recommend soaking them overnight, or for several days beforehand. Measure out your dried fruit and cover with your liquor or liquid of choice (for non-alcoholic options, try apple cider/juice, other fruit juices, or steeped teas) in a small sauce pot. Warm over low heat for a few minutes, remove from the heat, and allow to soak, covered, overnight or for several hours.

Before incorporating into your cake, strain the liquid off of the fruit. Use this fruit flavored liquid as a cordial or to make a simple glaze after the cake is baked.

Day 2 (Prepare Final Dough, Proof, and Bake)

          

1 cup unsalted butter (226 g)

¾ cup unrefined sugar (155 g)

2 eggs (100 g)

1/3 cup whole-milk yogurt  (85 g)

¼ cup sorghum or honey (60 g)

Preferment (560 / 635 g)

2 ¼ cups All Purpose or whole wheat pastry flour* (280 g)

2 Tbsp spice blend**  (12 g)

¼ tsp ground coriander (1 g)

¼ tsp ground black pepper (1 g)

2 tsp salt (12 g)

2 Tbsp sherry or another  - optional (30 g)

2 cups rehydrated fruit (300 g)

With a paddle attachment in a stand mixer, cream the butter very well, then add sugar, mixing until very light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time on medium speed. Mix in the sorghum/honey and yogurt.

Exchange the paddle with a dough hook. Add the preferment (starter or sponge) and mix until just incorporated. Combine all of the dry ingredients before adding them to liquid ingredients and mix until just incorporated, being careful not to over-mix. Gently fold in the sherry (optional) and rehydrated fruit.

Divide evenly into a bundt pan or cake rounds that have been buttered and lightly floured. OWL Bakery uses mini bundt pans, which yields 8-10 cakes. Proof for 2-4 hours, until the cake has risen by about ⅓ of its volume.

Bake at 375° F (190° C) for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350° F (177° C) and continue baking for about 25-30 minutes, until a tester comes out clean. Cool completely before cutting and eating. You may enjoy this cake plain or topped with a simple glaze.

Notes:

*Choose high extraction flour if possible

**Create a spice mixture with warm spices like ground cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, clove, star anise, or mace.  OWL Bakery’s house spice blend is a combination of 8 spices. 

Notes from JennyBakes:

I used sour cream instead of yogurt, because that's what I had. I used half molasses/half honey in place of the sorghum. My spice blend was cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and allspice. I rehydrated my raisins in brandy and apple Jim Beam, and had meant to add some chopped apple to the batter but once I got to that stage completely forgot!

My cake was pretty dry, more like a bread. I suspect this is largely baker error, because this is my first naturally leavened cake. I covered it with a lemon-powdered sugar glaze and will let it sit a few days before bringing it to work on Election Day.

Grain-Free, Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pancakes

I had opened a can of pumpkin Saturday, so Sunday morning I went looking for another breakfast pumpkin recipe. I made a version of the gluten-free pumpkin pancakes from the Against All Grain website. I didn't make her topping or use any bacon, and substituted a few ingredients, but I'll make note of those below. These are a good healthy version of a seasonal breakfast!

Grain-free, Gluten-free Pumpkin Pancakes

Ingredients:

• 4 large eggs
• ½ cup almond butter*
• ½ cup pumpkin puree
• ¼ cup honey*
• ¼ cup almond milk or coconut milk*
• 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil more for pan
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ cup coconut flour
• ¾ teaspoon baking soda
• 1½ teaspoons cinnamon
• ¾ teaspoons nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon ginger
• ¼ teaspoon cardamom
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt

Instructions:

1. Preheat a griddle or shallow sauté pan to medium heat. Lightly brush with coconut oil.
2. Place all of the wet ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on medium speed until combined.
3. Add the remaining dry ingredients; beat until smooth and fully incorporated. Allow batter to sit for 5 minutes, then beat again for 30 seconds until thickened.*
4. Pour ¼ cup of batter for each pancake onto the hot pan. Wait for the edges to start to lift, about 30 seconds, then gently flip the cake over. Continue cooking for 15-20 seconds, until cooked through and browned on both sides.

Jenny's notes:

I used peanut butter (it's what I had), coconut sugar in place of honey, and dairy milk (because it's what I had.) I also dumped everything in a canister and used my immersion blender, and it was fine.

Pumpkin Gingerdoodles

We always do a Halloween lunch party at work, and I feel this (nonexistent) pressure to bring something new every day. I've already done pumpkin cheesecake, candy corn cookies, pumpkin praline cake, apple cake, etc., etc. I found this recipe from the blog formerly known as "Culinary Concoctions by Peabody" and is now known as Sweet Recipeas. She pumpkinized and otherwise modified a recipe she got from Bakergirl, called Gingerdoodles or Snickersnaps.

I'm still reeling from realizing I had to make two different doughs, but whatever, I had let two sticks of butter come to room temperature and just made half batches of each dough. This was only a test anyway. And after my fingers were covered in soft sticky dough after the first tray (and after I dropped the back three into the bottom of the oven on their way into it, prompting a smoky oven fire, a new use of grill tongs, and managing a german shepherd mix who is terrified of kitchen fans), I decided that although neither recipe instructs you to, I would chill both doughs a few hours. It made a world of difference. I wouldn't attempt this recipe again without some chill time.  

I'm not tasting much in the pumpkin cookies. Perhaps they need more spices. I would bake the gingersnap dough on its own and be perfectly content. They are perfect. The pumpkin snickerdoodle needs work, perhaps it could be slightly less cakey and slightly more flavorful. Maybe some vanilla extract even. But this is a good start.

Pumpkin Gingerdoodles
(from Sweet Recipeas)

Dough 1:  Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Dough

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup unsalted butter
2 eggs
¾ cup pumpkin puree
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt

Mix 1 1/2 cups sugar, the butter, pumpkin, and eggs in a stand mixer with paddle attachment.
Add in flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt and mix on low until fully combined. Set aside.*

Dough 2: Gingersnap Dough

3/4 cup butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon ginger

Cream together butter and sugar. Add molasses and egg and continue beating. Add flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger and mix until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.*

Mixture to roll cookies in:

1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Combine cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl and set aside for rolling dough in.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease baking sheets with no-stick cooking spray and set aside.

Roll a small amount of gingersnap dough into a ball and a small amount of snickerdoodle dough and place them together and gently roll or squeeze together.

Roll in cinnamon sugar.

Place on baking sheets and bake for 9-11 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes before moving to cooling racks.

*JennyBakes says - make it easier on yourself and chill the mixed doughs for a few hours before trying to mash them together and bake them.

Custardy Apple Squares

This is a recipe I have been meaning to try. I needed something I could whip up quickly after a hectic week and knew that this was a recipe Dorie Greenspan keeps on hand for last-minute guests, somewhat of a pantry dish. (I think I see it most often posted on Dorie's own Instagram feed!)

The recipe can be found in Baking Chez Moi: Recipes from My Paris Home to Your Home Anywhere by Dorie Greenspan. I recommend all of her baking cookbooks; they are staples in my house. This one I snagged one day when it was a Kindle deal, and while I'm still not a huge fan of eCookbooks, this one seems to have a lot of good stuff to try.

The only change I made to the recipe was to bake it in a narrower dish than specified. She says 8" square pan, but only had a 9" square pan, and had read that it was "awfully shallow." I used a pan that is probably 8"x6" and still felt it was a bit shallow. But definitely tasty. The proportions are almost the same as an oven pancake, only with less milk and less butter. The apples, when sliced thinly, settle into lovely layers on their own. I baked mine for 40 of the recommended 40-50 minutes and it was browning around the edges. I'd like to try this again with some of her ideas - adding some kind of liqueur to the batter might be nice!

Custardy Apple Squares
(seriously, buy Dorie's books.... this recipe comes from her, although I've rewritten the instructions a bit)

3 medium juicy, sweet apples, such as Gala or Fuji, peeled
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 large eggs
1/3 cup granulated sugar
pinch of fine sea salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
6 tbsp whole milk, room temperature
2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.

Beat the eggs, sugar and salt together for about 2 minutes, until the sugar just about dissolves and the eggs are pale. Whisk in the vanilla, followed by the milk and melted butter. Add the flour and baking powder to the bowl and stir with the whisk until the batter is smooth.

Peel and slice the apples thinly (she recommends tools, I just used a knife!). Add the apples to the batter and fold gently, until every thin slice is coated. Scrape into the pan and smooth until reasonable.

Bake 40-50 minutes, or until golden brown, uniformly puffed - make sure the middle of the cake has risen - and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and allow to cool for at least 15 minutes.

Cut the cake into squares and dust with confectioners' sugar before serving, if desired.

Coffee Chocolate Chip No-Churn Ice Cream

I saw this idea of no-churn ice cream and had to try it. Will it be like no-knead bread, something I tried once and never did again?

Well, it's cold, and creamy. But the flavor isn't very intense, and it isn't as dense as the high-quality expensive ice cream we buy if we're going to bother. I'll probably still eat it. I can see many flavor combinations with this basic idea, though, and it is a heck of a lot easier than pulling out the ice cream maker (and planning ahead to freeze the bowl.)

Coffee Chocolate Chip No-Churn Ice Cream
(recipe from Baked by an Introvert)

• 1/2 cup strong brewed coffee, cold*
• 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Instructions

Combine the condensed milk and coffee in a small bowl. Whisk until smooth. Add the heavy cream to a large bowl. Using an electric mixer set to medium speed, beat until stiff peaks form. Turn the speed to low and slowly pour in the condensed milk and coffee mixture. Turn the speed back up to medium and beat until thickened. Using a silicone spatula, gently fold in the chocolate chips. Transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze for at least 6 hours.

*I used cold brew because I tend to have it on hand!

Apple Cider Cream Pie

I've had this recipe marked to try for years now, and intentionally bought extra apple cider at the orchards in North Carolina. I wish I hadn't made so many mistakes... I decided to use my favorite all-butter crust and then in following the directions originally at Food & Wine resulted in overbaking it. I also don't have the fancy pie weights and crust covers so the foil came off and... yeah, the crust was just baked too much. The custard is interesting and not too sweet, but it takes some time to prepare since first you have to boil down cider and let that cool.

Summary: don't make the mistakes I did and you should have a great pie! I think this would be great for Halloween or Thanksgiving.

Apple Cider Cream Pie

(from Food & Wine November 2011)

Ingredients

crust

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 stick unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch dice and chilled
• 3 tablespoons cold milk
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

filling and topping

• 2 cups apple cider
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

How to make this recipe

1. In a food processor, combine the flour, cornstarch, sugar and salt. Add the butter and pulse in 1-second bursts until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Combine the milk and vinegar and drizzle it on top. Pulse in 1-second bursts until the dough just comes together. Turn the dough out onto a work surface, gather up any crumbs and pat into a disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate until chilled, about 30 minutes.
   
2. On a floured work surface, roll out the dough to an 11-inch round, a scant 1/4 inch thick; ease it into a 9-inch glass or ceramic pie plate. Trim the overhanging dough to 1 inch and fold it under itself. Crimp decoratively and chill the crust until firm, about 15 minutes.
   
3. Preheat the oven to 425°. Line the crust with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake in the lower third of the oven for about 15 minutes, until the crust is barely set. Remove the parchment and pie weights. Cover the edge of the crust with strips of foil and bake for about 15 minutes longer, until the crust is just set but not browned. Press the bottom of the crust lightly to deflate it as it puffs; let cool. Lower the oven temperature to 350°.
   
4. In a medium saucepan, boil the cider until it's reduced to 1/2 cup, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and let cool. Whisk in 3/4 cup of the sugar, the sour cream and salt, then whisk in the eggs.
   
5. Pour the custard into the pie shell without removing the foil strips. Bake the pie in the lower third of the oven for 35 to 40 minutes, until the custard is set around the edge but the center is slightly jiggly. Let the pie cool completely.
   
6. In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the heavy cream with the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar and the cinnamon until firmly whipped. Mound the cream on the pie, cut into wedges and serve.
   

Make Ahead

The recipe can be prepared through Step 5 and refrigerated for 2 days.

Serve With

Baked apple slices.
 

Cold Chocolate Snacking Cake

What is a "snacking cake," exactly? As far as I can figure it, it is a simple cake, one that can be frosted in the pan and served directly from it. No layers, no decorations, no fuss. This one has been on my to-make list for a while because of the cold factor, and when I desperately needed to make something to post to the blog in time, this was a great pick because everything is a pantry ingredient.

Cold Chocolate Snacking Cake
(recipe from The View from Great Island blog)

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup sour cream
  
for the frosting
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 6 oz good semi sweet chocolate, chopped
• 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar, sifted
• 1/3 cup dark cocoa powder, sifted 

Instructions

1. Set oven to 350F
2. Spray an 7 1/2 x 11 1/2 brownie pan with cooking spray (you could substitute a 9x9 square pan, but the cooking time will be slightly longer and the cake will be taller)
3. In a medium bowl, whisk the cocoa, flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
4. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture alternating with sour cream, starting and ending with the flour mixture.
5. Spread batter into prepared pan. Tap pan firmly on counter top several times to force out large air bubbles. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Don't over bake.
6. To make the frosting: Heat the cream in a 2 cup glass measuring cup in the microwave until simmering. Add in the chocolate and let sit for 10 minutes, and then stir until smooth and glossy and the chocolate is all melted. If the chocolate isn't completely melted and smooth, zap it for another 15-30 seconds in the microwave.
7. Add the sugar and cocoa powder and whisk until completely smooth. Pour over the cooled cake. Put the cake in the refrigerator to chill and set the frosting. I like to leave it there for a couple of hours. Serve cold, and store in the fridge. 

Notes from JennyBakes:
-I used a 9x9 square pyrex and ended up baking it for 40 minutes. It probably only really needed 35.

Nigella Lawson Flourless Chocolate Orange Cake

As mentioned in my previous blog post, my reading friend adapted this cake to a orange coconut cake, but once she'd mentioned it I couldn't get it out of my head I had to make the original. I used coconut sugar instead of regular to make it a bit lower on the glycemic index, but otherwise kept it the same.

This cake has one strange technique and a few strange ingredients - you must boil oranges a few hours (and then you use the entire thing, peel and all.) Since the "flour" is all almonds, you can see some nobbly bits. The end result is not overly chocolatey but reminded me more of a gingerbread in texture.

Flourless Chocolate Orange Cake
(recipe from Nigella Lawson as seen on Food.com)

2 small thin-skinned oranges, approx 375g total weight (or 1 large)*
6 eggs
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
200 g ground almonds**
250 g caster sugar***
50 g cocoa****

1. Put the whole orange or oranges in a pan with some cold water, bring to the boil and cook for 2 hours or until soft.
2. Drain, and when cool, cut the oranges in half and remove any big pips.
3. Then pulp everything - pith, peel and all - in a food processor.
4. Preheat the oven to gas mark 4/180°C (350F). Butter and line a 20cm springform tin.
5. Add the eggs, baking powder, baking soda, almonds, sugar and cocoa to the orange in the food processor. Run the motor until you have a cohesive cake mixture, but slightly knobbly with the flecks of puréed orange.
6. Pour and scrape into the cake tin and bake for an hour, by which time a cake tester should come out pretty well clean. Check after 45 minutes because you may have to cover with foil to prevent the cake burning before it is cooked through, or indeed it may need a little less than an hour; it all depends on your oven.
7. Leave the cake to get cool in the tin, on a cooling rack. When the cake is cold you can take it out of the tin. Decorate with strips of orange peel or coarsely grated zest if you so wish, but it is darkly beautiful in its plain, unadorned state.

*I used two navel oranges
**I used 2 cups almond flour
***I used 3/4 cup coconut sugar and 1/2 cup granulated sugar
****1/2 cup

Did You Ever Have a Coconut Orange Cake?

I recently read Did You Ever Have a Family? by Bill Clegg, a novel that was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize and the National Book Award in 2015. The story revolves around a tragic event, a family dying the night before a wedding is to occur. But some of the characters, who narrate their own chapters, talk about the cake that was requested for the wedding. It seemed unusual, so of course I had to make it. Another reading friend was reading the book at the same time, and also tried a version which I hope to at least link to below.

"My mom made Lolly Reid's wedding cake. She got the recipe from a Brazilian restaurant in the city where she went one night after going in with her friends to see a show. It was a coconut cake made with fresh oranges. She prepared for days. It didn't have any pillars or platforms or fancy decorations; just a big sheet cake with a scattering of those tiny, silver edible balls...."

All I knew, since Clegg has not made the recipe he had in mind available anywhere, was that it had coconut and orange, should be a sheet (as opposed to a layer cake or bundt), and that I could add some of the tiny edible balls. I found two recipes I was considering. Both were in tube or bundt pans, but I knew that would roughly fill a 9x13 pan. One recipe that had the central ingredients and also identified as Brazilian was the Brazilian Flair Orange Cake with Coconut, but it seemed to be orange with coconut as a garnish, and I read the focus as being on coconut. I put that one aside for the Brazilian Cold Coconut Orange Cake, since it seemed to have the right flavor focus. It is assembled somewhat like a tres leche cake, where you pour a mixture of milks over the warm cake after poking holes in it. This is where the recipe went wrong for me, though, because it became too moist. I didn't end up taking it for coworkers to eat or anything! I suspect their "can" is a different size than my (14 oz) "can," but didn't think about it when mixing everything together. The cake as it was, with a simple glaze, would have been a delight. I also think the pictures accompanying that recipe don't look like they followed the end of the recipe, just made the cake part.

My reading friend Trudie liked the book less than I did but made a better cake. She started with Nigella Lawson's Flourless Chocolate Orange Cake, replacing the cocoa gram to gram with coconut. The color was so vivid, and the cake looked more like a cake and less like a pudding.  So beautiful, thanks Trudie!

More notes from Trudie:

1. Boiling up the oranges is critical as I have made this before and took a short cut with the boiling time and the oranges are too bitter, (however I have seen mention of microwaving them, to save time). The rest of the cake takes about 10mins to assemble - so it is just this stage needs planning.

2. Ground Almonds = Almond Meal, I am pretty sure you would have this, mine looks like this

3. For my coconut version of this cake I omitted the 50g of cocoa and put in 50g of shredded coconut instead

Clemson Blue Cheese Savories

It's Labor Day, and my husband has now been at his new job at Clemson University for a month! Clemson has been making blue cheese on campus since 1941. It even has its own website. N- brought home crumbles to try, and while we enjoy them in the various places we typically put blue cheese, I wanted to find a recipe that would better feature the cheese. These little round savory cracker-cookies topped with fig jam would be perfect on a cheese plate or at a tea - the perfect balance of savory and sweet. They come together quickly. I made a few changes in that I rolled the dough in plastic wrap and chilled it 15 minutes, then sliced and baked. I didn't get quite as many as 3 dozen, but thought that would be easier than rolling them out.

Blue Cheese and Fig Savories
(recipe from Food52)

Makes about 3 dozen

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
• Ground black pepper
• Fig preserves, about 3 Tablespoons

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Place the flour, butter, blue cheese and a few grinds of black pepper in the bowl of a food processor. Process until the dough just comes together and starts to form a ball.
3. Dump the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead a few times to pull the dough together. Roll out to 1/8 inch thick with a floured rolling pin. Cut rounds out of the dough with a floured 1-inch cutter and transfer the rounds to the parchment-lined baking sheet.
4. Using the back or a round half-teaspoon measure or your knuckle, make an indentation in the top of each dough round. Spoon about ¼ teaspoon of fig preserves into each indentation, using your finger to push the preserves as best as possible into the indentations.
5. Bake the savories for 10 – 14 minutes, until the preserves are bubbling and the pastry is light golden on the bottom.
6. Let cool on the baking sheet for at least 10 minutes, the remove to a wire rack to cool.
7. You’ll find fig preserves at the grocery – it may be shelved with the “fancy” jams and jellies. You can make these a day ahead and keep them in two layers separated by waxed paper in an airtight container.

 

Cinnamon Swirl Muffins (Grain-Free)

It isn't fall weather yet but I am so ready for the temperature to start dipping below 70 degrees Fahrenheit. It has been in the 90s here with rain threatening constantly, making everything a humid mess. Well, inside my house we keep it frigid so I was ready to go for something cinnamon.'

This is a recipe I adapted from a 1-minute coffee cake in a mug single serving recipe from Chocolate Covered Katie. It's adapted in a number of ways - I have made the recipe for more than one serving, I have used a different combination of flours, and I have used eggs and eliminated some of the other liquid ingredients to compensate. Still, I always want to give credit where credit is due. Check her out, she has great healthy recipes that taste good, with a lot of options for single-serving baking projects. These can be made as singles in the microwave but won't look quite as nice. Still tasty though.


Cinnamon Swirl Muffins (Grain-Free, Lower-Sugar)

1 cup plus 2 tbsp almond flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
6 tbsp coconut sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup vegetable oil

For the swirl:
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp brown sugar Splenda
1 tbsp butter, melted/softened
Pinch of salt

Yield: 6 muffins

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine batter dry ingredients and mix well. Add wet and mix until just mixed. In a tiny bowl, combine all swirl ingredients. Fill six greased muffin cups 1/2 way with the batter.

Sprinkle on two-thirds of the swirl, then spoon the remaining batter on top. Finally, sprinkle on the rest of the swirl. Bake 12-13 minutes. If you aren't worried about sugar consumption, a powdered sugar glaze might be a nice addition!

Grain-Free Chocolate Waffles

I started making the recipe I posted in July for grain-free waffles this weekend, one which has quickly become a favorite in our almost weekly rotation. I knew we were eating them with strawberries, so at the last minute tried making a chocolate version. I took notes so I could share what I did!

Crispy Chocolate Grain-Free Waffles
(adapted from an adaptation on a  recipe on Simply Nourished Recipes)

Ingredients

• 2 cups almond flour (or 1.5 cups almond flour and .5 cup tiger nut flour)*
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 cup tapioca starch/flour
• 1 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. baking powder
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup almond milk
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• ½ cup coconut oil, melted

Instructions

1. Preheat waffle iron according to manufacturer's directions.
2. In a large bowl, combine almond flour, tiger nut flour, cocoa powder, tapioca starch, coconut sugar, and baking powder. Whisk or stir to combine well.
3. Add wet ingredients to dry and stir until combined.
4. Use 1/3 to 1/2 cup of batter at a time and use waffle maker as directed.

*On this particular day, I had no almond flour. Three bags of coconut flour, but no almond flour. So I went all tiger nut flour and it was fine!

Chocolate Chili Icebox Cookies

These are a simple, easy cookie that bakes up perfectly. Not overly sweet, and the cayenne is only the subtlest kick in the seconds after taking a bite.

Chocolate Chili Icebox Cookies
(recipe from Sweet Paul Magazine, Winter 2014)

Makes about 4 dozen

You will need:

1 1⁄2 cups all purpose flour

1⁄3cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
3⁄4 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
1⁄2  teaspoon cayenne pepper 

1⁄2  teaspoon salt
1⁄4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1⁄2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
3⁄4 cup sugar
1 egg white
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
demerara sugar, for rolling

1. Whisk together the first 6 ingredients.
2. Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Add egg white and vanilla and beat to combine. Scrape down sides of bowl.
4. Add the flour mixture and stir just until combined.
5. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface.
6. Dust your hands with flour and shape into a disc.
7. Cut disc in half and shape each into logs about 8” long and 11⁄2” in diameter.
8. Roll in demerara sugar and wrap well with plastic wrap.
9. Refrigerate until completely chilled, at least 4 hours or up to overnight.
10. Preheat oven to 350oF.
11. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
12. Cut into 1⁄4” slices and arrange cookies on baking sheets 1” apart.
13. Bake, in batches if necessary, until cookies are soft but dry. This will take about 9 minutes.
14. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

Lingonberry Snitter

I had my library order Scandinavian Baking and it is a beautiful cookbook! I wanted to make something from it before returning it, but a lot of the savory baked goods would have required me to purchase obscure ingredients (rye flakes? no idea.) The description of this recipe said it was super sweet so I bought lingonberry jam to put in the middle (which isn't very sweet.) In the end, it was really not that sweet at all, so I'm a bit puzzled. Plus the directions don't get the math right, they say to roll the dough into a 16x9 sheet and then cut it into two pieces that are each 8x4.5... but for that size you'd end up with four pieces. Very confusing. I just decided as long as the pieces were the same size, it was all good. It also turned out that the baking time was too long - I would try 12-15 minutes as 20 made mine overbaked.

From some of the reviews I've read, there are multiple errors in the cookbook. So do bake Scandinavian, but maybe from a different source. Dang! It's so gorgeous, you can understand how I got pulled in.

Lingonberry Snitter (adapted from cookbook mentioned above)

1 2/3 cup flour
1/3 cup powdered sugar
7 tbsp butter, chilled
1 egg
Jam (I used about 2/3 of a jar of lingonberry)

7/8 cup powdered sugar
2 tbsp water

Sift together flour and sugar. Rub in butter with fingertips until mixture is sandy. Gently barely mix in egg. Chill dough for 30 minutes. Roll out into rectangle, even sides, cut into two equal sections. Place on parchment paper lined sheet and prick all over with fork. Bake 12-15 minutes at 350 and let cool. Mix powdered sugar and water together and spread over one piece. Let sit 30 minutes after sprinkling with colored sugar or edible glitter. Spread jam on the other side and pile the frosting topped on on top. Cut into awkward cracked pieces.

Apricot Pistachio Bars (and how I made the recipe grain free)

I've had this recipe on my to-make list forever. When I found myself with extra apricots, I finally made it (once I tracked down pistachios.)  But I wanted everyone in my household to be able to eat them, so I made them with substitutions for flour and sugar. I'll copy the recipe as is from the amazing Deb at Smitten Kitchen, and make notes below as to what I changed.

Everyone who tried these liked them, including co-workers who don't care about eating lower carb and grain-free.  My husband said he did not think he would ever order it from a bakery case because of the color (green!) but I thought the apricot color was pretty with the pistachio. These were not too sweet, a sophisticated bar.

Apricot Pistachio Squares
(from Deb at Smitten Kitchen)

Yield: 16 or 25 bars, depending on how you cut them

Crust
1 cup (125 grams) all-purpose flour*
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar**
1/2 cup (4 ounces or 115 grams) unsalted butter, cold is fine

Filling
3/4 cup (a scant 4 ounces or 110 grams) shelled unsalted pistachios
1 tablespoon (10 grams) all purpose flour*
Few pinches of sea salt
6 tablespoons (75 grams) sugar**
5 tablespoons (70 grams) unsalted butter, cold is fine
1 large egg
1/4 teaspoon almond extract, 2 teaspoons brandy or another flavoring of your choice (totally optional)
1 pound firm-ripe apricots

To finish
Powdered sugar or 1/4 cup apricot jam***

Heat your oven to 350 degrees F. Cut two 12-inch lengths of parchment paper and trim each to fit the 8-inch width of an 8×8-inch square baking pan. Press it into the bottom and sides of your pan in one direction, then use the second sheet to line the rest of the pan, perpendicular to the first sheet. (If you have an 8-inch square springform, you can skip this and just butter it well.)

Make the crust: Combine the flour, salt and sugar in the bowl of a food processor. Cut the butter into chunks, and add it to the bowl, then run the machine until the mixture forms large clumps — that’s right, just keep running it; it might take 30 seconds to 1 minute for it to come together, but it will. Transfer the dough clumps to your prepared baking pan and press it evenly across the bottom and 1/4-inch up the sides. Bake for 15 minutes, until very pale golden. For the sake of speed, transfer to a cooling rack in your freezer for 10 to 15 minutes while you prepare the filing.

Make the filling: In your food processor bowl (which I never bother cleaning between these steps), grind your pistachios, sugar, flour and salt together until the nuts are powdery. Cut the butter into chunks and add it to the machine. Run the machine until no buttery bits are visible. Add any flavorings and egg, blending until just combined.

Spread filling over mostly cooled (warmth is okay but it’s hoped that the freezer will have firmed the base enough that you can spread something over it) crust. Cut apricots in half (or, you might find that you can tear them open at the seams with your fingers) and remove pits. From here, you have a few decoration options: you can place the apricot halves in facedown or up all over the pistachio base. You can do as I did, which is cut them into strips, then slide each cut half onto a butter knife or offset spatula, tilt it so that it fans a little, and slide it onto your pistachio filling decoratively.

Bake the bars for 60 minutes, or until they are golden and a toothpick inserted into the pistachio portion comes out batter-free. This might take up to 10 minutes longer depending on the juiciness of your apricots and the amount you were able to nestle in. Let cool completely in pan; you can hasten this along in the fridge.

To finish, you can make a shiny glaze for your tart by warming the jam in a small saucepan until it thins, and brushing this mixture over the top of the cooled tart. Or, you can keep it rustic with just a dusting of powdered sugar, as I did.

Cut bars into squares — chilled bars will give you the cleanest cuts. Keep leftover bars chilled.

* - I used a mixture of 2/3 almond flour and 1/3 tigernut flour, mostly because that is what I had in the cupboards!
** - I used coconut sugar instead.
*** - I skipped this step. They were tasty enough without this, and more like a breakfast baked good.

The Pies of Summer: Apricot Pie

Today is the 10th anniversary of JennyBakes (if you count my first actual baking post and not my introduction.) Happy blogiversary to me! That day was peaches, so this day will be apricots.

I have been waiting for apricot season ever since I saw this recipe in Ruth Reichl's My Kitchen Year: 136 Recipes that Saved My Life. It sounded amazing. I was in Oregon for a week starting on the 4th of July, and mentioned it to my Mom, but assumed that it was not yet time for apricots in Oregon. Instead I found out that she "has a guy" who "she can call" and "meet in a parking lot" for some types of fruit. And somehow their season started early, so that was the last week to order apricots. She ordered a big box, and I made this for my belated birthday dessert with my family.

I was surprised by the incredible tartness of this recipe. I suspect that unless the apricots you are using are just about to turn, they are so ripe and sweet, that this pie may be too tart for you! It was too tart for me. I ended up making another version where I left out the crust and just did fruit and topping, and that was a step better. I think I might try mixing apricots with other fruits.

But it also may be that the tartness is the thing, that you aren't sure at first but it's the taste that brings you back, that becomes summer to you. It's a clear favorite among Ruth Reichl's friends and family, so there must be something to it. Try it and report back!

Apricot Pie
(as seen in book above and RuthReichl.com)
 
1 recipe pie dough (for a single crust pie)
2 pounds apricots (Jenny's note: I used 16!)
1 stick butter, melted
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup flour
fresh nutmeg

Roll out the pie dough, fit it into a 9 inch pie pan, crimp the edges and put it into the freezer for 15 minutes while you preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Break the apricots apart with your fingers; do not peel them, but remove the pits.

Melt the butter.  Stir in the sugar (brown sugar is fine), then the flour.  Grate in a bit of nutmeg.
Put the apricots into the unbaked shell.  Cover them with the sugar mixture and put the pie on the bottom rack of your oven. After ten minutes turn the heat down to 375 and bake for 35 or 40 minutes more, until the top is crusty and golden. Transfer to a cake rack and cool before serving.

Bakery Review: Asheville Biscuitry (Asheville, NC)

I made a visit to the Asheville Biscuitry earlier this summer. It was an accident that I even came across it, all because I got lost trying to go south from the UNC Asheville campus. My bad sense of direction meant another bakery adventur e.

The sign says biscuitry but they must be in the back; doughnuts on the other hand are everywhere! The menu has biscuit sandwiches and grilled doughnuts, and you can also get a cinnamon bun. And being Asheville, there are plenty of options for vegheads.

I chose four square filled doughnuts - two boston cream and two mango-coconut. I was most definitely not disappointed!

The most pleasant surprise comes from the obviously handcrafted flavors. The coconut cream had actual coconut, and the boston cream filling had vanilla beans. These are not commercial doughnuts only dipped in sugar, these have a nuance of flavor and a skill in preparation. Definitely worth a trip! And I'd like to return to try some of the creative sandwich creations.

Crispy Grain-Free Waffles

This is our favorite lower-carb, grain-free waffle recipe yet! We've tried a lot of stinkers but this one had a great texture. The tiger nut flour is completely optional - I only used it because I ran out of almond flour and had some on hand. But who knows, maybe it is the answer to why these tasted so good. We enjoyed ours with fresh strawberries and whipped cream

Crispy Grain-Free Waffles
(adapted from a recipe on Simply Nourished Recipes)

Ingredients

• 2 cups almond flour (or 1.5 cups almond flour and .5 cup tiger nut flour)
• 1 cup tapioca starch/flour
• 1 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. baking powder
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup almond milk
• ¼ cup coconut sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• ½ cup coconut oil, melted

Instructions

1. Preheat waffle iron according to manufacturer's directions.
2. In a large bowl, combine almond flour, tiger nut flour, tapioca starch, coconut sugar, and baking powder. Whisk or stir to combine well.
3. Add wet ingredients to dry and stir until combined.
4. Use 1/3 to 1/2 cup of batter at a time and use waffle maker as directed.

 

Dark Chocolate Cookies with Cherries

I made these cookies because a friend liked them so much she posted about them in Facebook! The chewy texture and bittersweet chocolate make these divine, the perfect adult cookie.

I made a few changes right off the bat. 12 oz of bittersweet chocolate in the original made sense if you were melting it and it was a major component of the batter, but just to chop it up and add to the cookie seemed expensive and excessive. I should have bought a bag of chips. As it was I only used one of the Ghiradelli bars (4 oz).  I also found tart dried cherries everywhere but not really "sour" so I just went with it, also with probably 5 oz instead of 9. The online recipe also directs the baker to make cookies out of 1/4 cup dough for each cookie - um, no, that's crazy. They'll never bake! I will post the recipe I made and not Martha's, although surely her recipe will be more decadent. It will also be more difficult to handle since there is less batter holding the cookies together, and a higher percentage of things that melt.

Dark Chocolate Cookies with Cherries
(adapted from Dark Chocolate Cookies with Sour Cherries by Martha Stewart)

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 cups unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup firmly packed dark-brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 3/4 cups dried cherries, firmly packed (5 ounces)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla extract; beat until well combined. Add the flour mixture, and beat on low speed, until just combined. Do not overbeat. With a wooden spoon, fold in chocolate and cherries. (Dough can be frozen at this point, wrapped well in plastic, up to 1 month; thaw completely before baking.)
3. Use a cookie scoop or form balls of roughly 1- 1.5 inches. Bake until puffed and cracked, 9 to 11 minutes but do not overbake.Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container, at room temperature, up to 3 days. 

Recipe Notes from JennyBakes

1. There is a lot of controversy on Martha's website; I think at some point there were no eggs listed. Clearly the recipe needs eggs, so just use what I have listed. There was also confusion over whether 1 1/4 cups of butter is the same as 2 1/2 sticks. It is in the USA... just go with 20 tbsp.
2. If you really want to use 12 oz bittersweet chocolate, buy a bag of chips! Having to chop up the chocolate and then mix it in is a killer.

Paleo Blueberry Bars

This is a lot like what happens if you made a muffin batter but didn't want to take the time to make muffins. But hey, we all have mornings like that. And this is a pretty healthful recipe that can be adapted to almost any fruit combination. The original used blackberries, I used blueberries, just make it what you can!

Paleo Blueberry Bars
(adapted from What Runs Lori)

• 1 cup coconut flour
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut* 
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup coconut sugar
• 2 bananas (about 1 cup)
• 2 eggs
• 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup almond milk
• 1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen (or berry of choice)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8×8 baking pan and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together the coconut flour, shredded coconut, cinnamon, baking powder and soda, and salt. Add in the coconut sugar, mixing again.

In the same bowl, add in the bananas, eggs, melted coconut oil, vanilla extract, and almond milk. Mix until all ingredients are incorporated.

Fold in the berries and spoon the batter into the greased pan. Bake for 40 minutes or until the sides are golden.

Remove from oven and cool. Cut into about 16 squares.

Recipe Notes from JennyBakes

1. The original recipe said 1/4 cup - 1 cup of almond milk but as this is a coconut flour recipe you NEED at least 1 cup. If the batter is looking more like cookie batter than muffin, you might want to add even more. Or experiment by adding another egg.
2. This was almost not sweet enough. If I made these again I would use 1/2 cup coconut sugar. It isn't as sweet as some of the chemical sugar subs so sometimes a recipe needs more of it, not just a straight trade.
3. *I sometimes find adding shredded coconut adds dryness, something this recipe doesn't need. I left it out.