Baking Illustrated Apple Cake

Apple Cake

It's yet another bundt with apples!

I made Cook's Illustrated / Baking Illustrated Apple Cake. I've made it before and it is very yummy and comes together very quickly.

To get the recipe, it's considered Premium Content on Cook's Illustrated website (subscription required) or find the recipe in Baking Illustrated (page 334) or American Classics (page 344). Use WorldCat to help locate a copy at your library (or use InterLibrary Loan to get a copy)...Baking and Classics. (I'm not going to post anything about the recipe less I end up like Alosha's Kitchen saga with Cook's Illustrated/Cook's Country)

A Bundt pan is buttered and sugared, then white and brown sugar is placed in the base.

I used Granny Smith apples (mixed here with brown sugar - and I added a bit of cinnamon) and the cake batter tops the apples.

You need to immediately invert the cake when it comes out of the oven. 99% of the apples came out and I pulled off the stubborn ones from the pan.

I think this cake is super yummy. With the cake flour, the crumb is delicious - like a pound cake topped with warm apples. :)

Apple Cake by Cook's Illustrated

P.S. Note to Kimberleyblue: Sorry, but here is another Bundt to try!! :)

Lemon Cheesecake (Baking Illustrated)

Lemon Cheesecake

Sacrificial animal crackers.
Cream cheese.
Lemon curd.

Just one question...

Why did it take me so long to make this?

I made Baking Illustrated Lemon Cheesecake (also found online here) this weekend. My first real cheesecake made in a water bath! Whoo hoo!

The crust is made with animal crackers. Apparently the graham cracker crust is so yesterday. And since I have an affinity to grind up cookie species for my crust (see my crust made of cute little bears here), I was all for this. (Except for the fact that animal crackers are expensive now - $1.50 per box at my janky Ralphs.)

Answer me this riddle...when did the fuzzy marsupial koala bear get into the Barnum's Animal Cracker box?! What the heck? I get the tigers, bears, elephants and perhaps a polar bear (oh my), but a koala?! Is this the new cirque de outback circus? Not to diss the adorable koala, but what exactly does it do in the circus? Trapeze? Leap through a ring o' fire? Sarah Palin-like playing flute? I thought koalas only sleep, eat and look cute. Anyway, if you've seen a koala at your circus, let me know. And it didn't really matter anyway, because I ground him and his friend up into little crumbs!

Mostly endangered species were ground up fine, sugar added and then a stream of melted butter goodness added. After pressed into a 9" springform and baked off, a nice fine crazy butter film on the bottom of the pan will appear. Yes, a successful cheesecake begins with a butter delivery device crust.

Some lemon zest is pulsed with sugar and then three blocks of cream cheese, eggs, lemon juice, vanilla, and cream are mixed together. Note: No flour or cornstarch is added. The cake was baked in a water bath for about an hour, then sit in the oven with the door ajar for another hour. Then, it cools outside for another 2 hours. (Cheesecake isn't hard, it's just time consuming!)

I also made a lemon curd for the topping. I think I'm going to marry lemon curd. I just love you so.

The cake needs to chill out overnight for best results and is best served very cold. It is way, way rich so thin slices are helpful. I think the lemon curd cuts a bit of the overall richness and wouldn't make cheesecake without it!

Happy Anniversary Blog (aka Leaving Baby in the Car)

Today is the first anniversary of my blog!

And I'm not going to say it started out bad....just WAY crazy.

First, I decided to bake the first two recipes I made last year: Banana Bread and Blueberry Muffins.

This time, I used one of the variations in Baking Illustrated's Banana Bread recipe by adding cinnamon, nutmeg and orange zest. (pg. 24)

Orange-Spice Banana Bread

Blueberry muffins #1 last year were a disaster (confusing baking soda for baking powder...) and then attempt #2 ended up meeting Mr. Trashcan, but things finally came together.

Today, I tried Dorie Greenspan's Baking from My Home to Yours Orange Berry Muffins (include orange zest, orange juice) (pg. 3)

Lotsa blueberries
(Still a bit clueless on the new camera...need to take some lessons or class)

After taking the photos, I was running late for work so I grabbed my stuff and tossed it into the car. Today, I had a lot of books to return to the library, my laptop, and my sad lunch (homemade frozen bean burrito, orange (sans zest) and a leftover spotted banana).

Once I got to work...I had to make two trips.

(Yes, you know where this story is going...)

I got into work and started answering reference questions...and didn't make the second trip. Did I mention that it was 100 degrees today in Los Angeles? I went out to my car 5 hours later, and the poor guys looked like someone mistook them for a tomato and put them in a hothouse. Covered in condensation and burning hot. I touched them and they were just. plain. gross.

The only good news is that my car now smells of orange zest and bananas. Who needs those little pine tree air fresheners?

Well...Happy First Anniversary Blog! This all started with a desire to break from the cake mix box and use a bit of technology. I've had a great time and want to thank all my readers, especially my friends! I love getting comments that you are baked something, or just to say hi.

I can't believe how much I've learned (I can actually explain to people the difference between cake flour and all-purpose flour, the difference between french, italian and swiss meringues (swiss the best!)... and how much I have left to learn and conquer! (i.e. pies, tarts and pastries). My list of "need to make" recipes just keep growing! Thanks for coming along for the journey!

Mango Upside Down Cake

I Heart Mango!
Even upside down!

Can you believe my blog is almost one year old?! Oh the amount of butter, flour and eggs I've used this year!

My new blog year's resolution is to tackle the "I'm-so-intimidate-I-run-for-the-hills" pie crust and tarts. If master foodie, P prize winning J Gold can't master it, I don't hold out much hope. However, I AM a librarian like his mom so perhaps that is the secret! :)

But, until then, I tried a recipe I had trouble with before. It's the Fruit Upside Down Cake from Baking Illustrated (page 332). You can use delicious pineapples, peaches, plums or mango. I opted for mango as they are probably the world's best fruit (well, until I head to the Farmer's Market and start eating the pluots, apricots, white nectarines...oh, I'm weak in the knees thinking about the upcoming fruit season...)

Last time I tried this, I underbaked it and was left with a ring of cake. This time, it turned out okay!

A mixture of brown sugar and butter are caramelized and then placed on the bottom of a 9x3 pan. Then the batter is added and baked off!

Very simple cake to make and yummy!

Citrus Pound Cake Mini-Loaves

I made some mini-loaves of pound cake from the Baking Illustrated cookbook (page 330). I added some lemon and orange zest to the pound cake recipe.

I'm getting tired catching up with my blog entries tonight (while watching Top Chef)...so I'll just say that I made them! :)

Although there is crazy lighting in this photo...this mini-loaf was cute. I love mini-things.

Happy Birthday Racheal Cake

Good intentions don't quite mix with a sick two-year old.

Let me back up. My cutest-can-be nephew had the stomach flu...and I hung out with him on Friday night. Guess what happened to Auntie Food Librarian on Saturday night? Ugh.

But what happened in-between?!?!

Well, I volunteered at KCRW's pledge drive and then came home to finish a white cake with butter frosting for my friend Racheal. It was her birthday recently and I promised her a baked good.

I used the Classic White Layer Cake with Butter Frosting and Raspberry-Almond Frosting (sans the Almond) recipe from Baking Illustrated (page 352). Draft #1 (you know there will be Draft #2, don't you?!) followed the recipe exactly. It had 2 teaspoons of almond extract and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. When it went into the oven, it smelled like almond extract. All Almond. All the time.

It came out with a very nice crumb! I loved it......until I tasted it. The almond extract was so overpowering that it left a weird aftertaste in my mouth. I used a new bottle of McCormick's pure almond extract (not the imitation stuff)...so I don't know what went wrong.

Draft #2: Left out the almond extract and put in two teaspooons of vanilla instead. Yum.

Filled the center with seedless raspberry jam. Next time I'll place a buffer of frosting around the edges so the jam doesn't bleed out.

Decorated the cake with Butter Frosting. I tried to crumb coat it and then put a thin layer on top. I should have made more frosting...but it turned out okay. I don't know how to decorate so I turned to a old-time favorite...the dot.

After I dropped off the cake and a batch of peanut butter brownies at Racheal's house, I returned home and promptly got sick. I called Racheal and asked her to toss everything...I didn't want to get them sick!

However, I find out today that they didn't!!! Luckily, there are okay.

P.S. Sorry the cake photos are a bit yellow. I had to lighten them with photoshop because they were too dark...but they didn't capture how white colored the frosting was...

Baking Illustrated Cranberry Scones (sans orange)

At the crack of dawn yesterday, I decided to give scones a try. Never made before, but I now understand why they are called scones. It's because "butterfat-delivery-device" is too long.

I got the recipe from Baking Illustrated (page 58). The actual recipe is for Cream Scones with Currants but, seriously, who has currants in the house at 5 am? I might have some dried up lunch box raisins, but not fancy currants...I opted for the variation: Cranberry-Orange Scones with dried cranberries and orange zest. By the way, I just love the variations at the end of recipes - it is sorta like "choose your own adventure" cooking.

1. You use a food processor to mix. Very quick indeed. After, place in a bowl and mix in 1 cup of cream. 2. Then you knead for a few seconds. I tried really hard to not over-knead the dough. 3. Pop the dough into an ungreased 8-inch cake pan so it comes out round. This is helpful early in the morning. 4. Cut into 8 wedges and placed on a cookie sheet. Brush with cream and sprinkle with a little sugar.

It wasn't until the dough was in the oven that I realized I completely forgot the orange zest. Lately, I've been baking with an abbreviation zeal. From Boston Cream Pie to Boston Pie...and Cranberry Orange Scone to Cranberry Scone. I guess it is all about choosing your own baking adventure!

I don't usually buy scones so I don't have much to compare with...however, I strive to do more research eating in this department! They tasted like a sweet biscuit with dried cranberries. Is that right?

I brought in the scones with some Pam Jam. That I know was delicious!

Snickerdoodle Cookies!

Snickerdoodle cookies rock!

They have a cool name. (According to Baking Illustrated, the name comes from the German word for "crinkly noodle.")
They have lots of butter.
They are coated in cinnamon and sugar. Don't you want to be coated in sugar and cinnamon?! (No, not that way, but like a cinnamon-sugar toast sweetness kinda way)

These are from Baking Illustrated (page 430) and they were quite easy to make. America's Test Kitchen, of course, tested a zillion things and found the secret is the cream of tartar, baking soda, and the crazy ratio of butter to shortening.

Last weekend I went to Surfas and picked up some more 1/2 sheet pans. Thank goodness! Originally, I had two pans and love them. But when you are making 4 dozen cookies...you have to cool them off between batches, yada yada. So, I picked up more (only $6 each) and making cookies is a breeze. Don't forget to get pre-cut 1/2 sheet pan parchment paper too - the best stuff in the world!

I brought these into work today and they flew out the door!

Peach Upside-Down (and Empty) Cake

I Heart my KitchenAid mixer!

Tonight, I tried to make the Fresh Fruit Upside-Down Cake from Baking Illustrated (page 332). Oh, sooo close...

This recipe calls for cooking some butter and brown sugar in a small saucepan to create a light caramel. That goes into a 9 x 3 pan and then the fresh fruit is placed on top. I used white and yellow peaches. (I went to Surfas this weekend to pick up the special 9 x 3 pan - most pans are 9 x 2).


The cake batter is created by mixing butter, flour, sugar, egg yolks and a bit of cornmeal. You also beat egg whites to stiff peaks and fold them into the mix. Now, I know I have praised my new digital scale and other new toys, but I sometimes forget to mention my very close and special friend, the KitchenAid mixer. It simply rocks! It beats, whips, blends, kneads, and (if you have the right attachment) can make sausage! It is as reliable as Cal Ripkin, Jr. and as nice as Tony Gwynn (shout out to the latest very worthy inductees to Cooperstown), and not a mean, s*t*e*r*i*o*d filled so-called home run record holder.

Okay, the cake goes into the oven. I wait 60 minutes! The cake rises and I totally understand the need for the taller 9 x 3 pan. I took it out of the oven, waited two minutes and then flipped the cake onto a plate.

Later, I cut into it and pulled out a slice. Oh, the horror. The middle wasn't cooked! It was mushy. I was more annoyed than sad. So I took drastic steps...here's my new cake.

P.S. My Persian Immersion class rocked! I'm definitely going to try another Hipcooks class.

P.S.S. I'm volunteering at KCRW's Pledge Drive - don't forget to pledge your support to awesome public radio!