It's A Bundt -- Pear Spice Cake

I love a bundt. Every time I make a bundt cake, I think of the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding, where the fiance's parents bring over the bundt cake to the Greek parents. They had never seen one before and didn't know what to make of it.

I had this recipe starred in my Google reader from 2 sources, Dinner and Dessert and Joy the Baker. I just happened to have some leftover pears and whipped cream from Valentine's Day weekend and some leftover buttermilk from making cornbread, so this seemed to be the perfect thing to bake today. It is a very yummy recipe!

Pear Spice Cake with Walnut Praline Topping

from Joy the Baker, who adapted it from Gourmet magazine

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 1/2 teaspoons ground allspice

1 1/2 teaspoons freshly grated nutmeg

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup sugar

3 large eggs, separated (I just used the whole eggs in the batter & didn't make the egg whites)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cups buttermilk

3 pears, peeled, cored and diced into roughly 1/2-inch pieces (I used 2 pears)

1 cup walnuts (3 ounces), toasted , cooled, and finely chopped (I used 1/2 cup pecans)

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour bundt pan.

Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a bowl. Beat together butter, sugar, cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg in another bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes in a standing mixer or 4 with a handheld. Add yolks 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low, then add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately in batches, mixing well after each addition. Fold in pear pieces and chopped walnuts.

Beat egg whites in another bowl with cleaned beaters until they just hold stiff peaks, then fold whites into batter gently but thoroughly.

Spoon batter into pan, smoothing top, and bake until a wooden pick or skewer comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes. Cool cake in pan on a rack 10 minutes, then invert onto rack and cool completely.

Walnut Praline Topping

3/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup whipping cream

1 cups walnuts, roughly chopped, toasted (I used about 1/2 cup pecans)

Stir golden brown sugar, whipping cream and 1/2 cup butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium-high heat until smooth. Boil 3 minutes, stirring often. Stir in walnut pieces. Spoon warm topping over warm cake. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Jumping on the Bandwagon--Blueberry Crumb Cake

Wow - it's been a long time. I finally have something new to post. Last weekend, I made a fabulous blueberry crumb cake from my Barefoot Contessa at Home cookbook. Her recipes never disappoint, so this cake was scrumptious! It reminded me of Drake's coffee cakes, but with blueberries. Also it made a lot of streusel topping which was a bonus!

Blueberry Crumb Cake
from Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa at Home

For the streusel:
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

For the cake:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature (3/4 stick)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2/3 cup sour cream
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup fresh blueberries
Confectioners' sugar for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9-inch round baking pan.

For the streusel:

Combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a bowl. Stir in the melted butter and then the flour. Mix well and set aside.

For the cake:

Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on high speed for 4 to 5 minutes, until light. Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla, lemon zest, and sour cream. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the batter until just combined. Fold in the blueberries and stir with a spatula to be sure the batter is completely mixed.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and spread it out with a knife. With your fingers,
crumble the topping evenly over the batter. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool completely and serve sprinkled with confectioners' sugar.

Another fall treat--Apple Cake

I had a bunch of apples to use up and wanted to make something that was not too sweet. I came upon a recipe for Apple Coffee Cake with Crumble Topping and Brown Sugar Glaze. Suprisingly, it was from Emeril on the Food Network. When I think of apple cake, Emeril is not the first chef to come mind. However, this was an exceptional cake and not super-sweet. It stayed moist over the course of several days, which is also a good thing.

Apple Coffee Cake with Crumble Topping and Brown Sugar Glaze

Cake:
1 stick plus 2 teaspoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups peeled, cored and chopped apples

Crumble Topping:
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

Brown Sugar Glaze:
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons water

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 13 by 9-inch glass baking dish with 2 teaspoons of the butter.

In a large bowl, cream together the remaining stick of butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs 1 at a time, beating after the addition of each. In a separate bowl or on a piece of parchment, sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Add to the wet ingredients, alternating with the sour cream and vanilla. Fold in the apples. Pour into the prepared baking dish, spreading out to the edges.

To make the topping, in a bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon, and butter, and mix until it resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle the topping over the cake and bake until golden brown and set, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes.

To make the glaze, in a bowl, combine the sugar, vanilla, and water and mix until smooth. Drizzle the cake with the glaze and let harden slightly. Serve warm.

Crabs, Crabs and More Crabs!

Living on the East Coast, crabs have always been a fun summer treat. Last week, we had our annual crab feast, complete with steamed crabs, coleslaw, tater tots, corn salad, deviled eggs and strawberry cake for dessert. Here are some pictures.

A closeup of the crabs:

Here's another closeup of the crabs:

The deviled eggs that we had with the crabs. Yes, not a traditional side dish for crabs, but good nonetheless.

And last, but not least, the strawberry cake we had for dessert. Yes, that is pure whipped cream as a frosting!