Cara Cara Orange Scones

Cara Cara Orange Scones

I love the Cara Cara orange! It's sweet, pink, juicy and delicious. So, it deserves a scone!

I love making scones for a morning meeting. I need to leave the house at 6 am for my commute, so I try to prep the ingredients the night before...measuring the dry ingredients and putting out items to get to room temperature overnight if needed. But scones are so easy that I can often throw everything together, make the scones, pop them in the oven, get myself in the shower, quickly dress and then grab the scones from the oven.


These are very rich, with butter, cream (pre-butter) and an egg. The glaze adds a lot of orange flavor.



Recipe: Cara Cara Orange Scones

Scones:
2 cups (10 ounces) all-purpose flour
2 ounces sugar
2 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Zest of one Cara Cara orange
1 stick (4 ounces) butter, cold
1 cup (8 ounces) heavy whipping cream, cold
1 egg, cold

Glaze:
2 Tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 Tablespoons fresh orange juice

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place a piece of parchment on a baking tray or half-sheet pan.
2. In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt until combined.
3. Cut butter into flour mixture with a pastry blender/cutter until butter is pea-size
4. In a small bowl or measuring cup, mix together the cream and egg until well blended.
5. Add the cream/egg mixture to the dry ingredients and stir with a fork until moistened. Don't overmix.
6. Scoop scones with an ice cream scoop or #16 disher onto the baking sheet.
7. I got 11 scones from this batter.
8. Bake until golden brown about 14-16 minutes.
9. Remove scones onto a wire rack and let cool for 15 minutes before glazing.
10. To make the glaze, mix together the melted butter and the rest of the ingredients until smooth. Pour over the scones. Enjoy!

I Like Big Bundts 2013 - Orange Marmalade Jubilee Bundt Cake

Orange Marmalade Jubilee Bundt Cake

I Like Big Bundts 2013 (the lite edition)

It's that special time of year.

Days are shorter.

Leaves change color and fall off trees in some parts of the country.
Pumpkin Spice Lattes are poured at Starbucks.

And you start thinking about Thanksgiving.

But for me, it's Bundt season.

Because I cannot lie, I Like Big Bundts!

National Bundt Day is November 15th (I don't know who made up this food holiday, but I thank them for it) and I like to celebrate. In 2009, 2010, and 2011, I posted 30 days of Bundts to get you in the mood. I had to take last year off, and this year I'm going to try to do a "light" version with 15 days of Bundts leading up to the awesome National Bundt Day on November 15, 2013.

So much has changed since my first I LIKE BIG BUNDTS celebration (as always, thanks to my good friend JustJenn for coming up with the name and all the great graphics - you can purchase notecards and buttons here)... Bundts are everywhere now! Back in the day (boy, do I sound old), I wanted to promote the bundt as the best cake substance on the planet. Now I see Bundts on blogs, books, and in the best bakeries. Bundt love is awesometown. While Bundt love is now widespread, I still want to share with you my life-long love affair with the Bundt as the perfect baked good - little or no frosting, lots of cake, and perfect to share with friends and co-workers.

Just so you know, I'm highly disorganized this year. I usually have a bunch of lists, recipes and cookbooks all ready to go. This year...frazzled is the best way to describe things. So, I hope I can pull it off, but you'll forgive me if life (and a huge work project) gets in the way, right? 

As in the past, if you'd like to celebrate National Bundt Day on November 15th with me, I ask that you send along a photo of your Bundt and I'll post a round-up of the delicious bundts. Logistics of submission will be posted soon. [Update: Submission info here!]

To start this off, I want to show off my new Jubilee Bundt Pan from Nordic Ware. My BFF Dulcey tweeted me when she visited the Nordic Ware factory store in Minnesota. I knew I had to buy it. Isn't it pretty? By the way, I don't work for Nordic Ware but do recommend their pans (some of my pans can be found in this post).

Orange Marmalade Jubilee Bundt Cake

This recipe is from the wrapper off the Jubilee Bundt pan! It's an orange pound cake with lots of zest and topped with a glaze of orange juice and orange marmalade.

I used the Dorie Greenspan technique of rubbing the zest and sugar together to bring out the zest's oils and flavor. I used 4 oranges for the cake and glaze (you'll need to zest a couple of the oranges, and squeeze out a total of 3/4 cup of orange juice for the cake & glaze - I needed 4 small-medium, not too juicy oranges to get that yield). It's easy to make. The Jubilee pan has a 10-cup capacity and the batter rises to the top, but didn't go over.

As always, bake your bundt directly on the oven rack and never place a cookie sheet under it (air should flow through the hole in the center).

When I bought the Jubilee Bundt Pan, I also purchased Nordic Ware's cool Cake Lifter. It's this massive spatula to lift your Bundts. How did I live this long without one!??!?! It's fantastic. In the summer months, you can use it to fan yourself too. :)

Look at that great pattern! It's very pretty, no?


Here's a close up of the pattern. It looks good at all angles. Besides the original Bundt pan (12-cup capacity), I like the Heritage Pan (10-cup capacity) too. But now I think the Jubilee Bundt Pan (10 cup) might be moving up on the Heritage!

The crumb was very pound-cakey...tight with little bright orange zest throughout.

Do you include Bundt cakes in your regular baking rotation? I hope so! Come back tomorrow for another Bundt! - mary

Recipe: Orange Marmalade Jubilee Bundt Cake
Adapted from the package of the Nordic Ware "Orange Jubilee Cake"

3 cups (420 grams) all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 (500 grams) cups sugar
Zest of 2 oranges, finely grated
4 large eggs
1 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice, strained with no pulp*

Glaze:
1/2 cup orange marmalade (I used Trader Joe's Seville Marmalade)
1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice, strained with no pulp*

*Depending on the size of your oranges, you may need 3-4 oranges to get this much juice. I needed 4 oranges total for this recipe.

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Prepare a 10 or 12-cup Bundt pan by spraying it with Pam with Flour, or brushing it with melted butter and dusting it with flour. I used the beautiful Jubilee Bundt pan by Nordic Ware.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
4. In a small bowl, combine the sugar and orange zest. Rub the zest and sugar together to infuse the flavor into the sugar - the sugar will be a little damp.
5. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter with sugar & zest until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.
6. Add eggs one at a time, beating 30-60 seconds after each addition. Scrap down the bowl and beat until it is light and fluffy, another 3-4 minutes.
7. Combine the buttermilk and orange juice in a measuring cup.
8. On slow speed, add 1/3 of the dry ingredients and alternate with the 1/2 the liquid. Start and end with the dry ingredients. Scrap down sides of the bowl.
9. Spoon batter into the Bundt pan. Bake for 60-70 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.

Glaze: Combine marmalade and orange juice in a small saucepan. Bring to the boil, reduce heat to a simmer, stirring occasionally until syrupy, about 3 minutes. Strain into a bowl, discarding the solids. Pour over or brush onto the cooled cake. Wait at least 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

 
Disclosure: No, I don't work for Nordic Ware - just a huge fan. However, if you buy things from the Amazon links, then I get a few cents as part of their affiliate program - thanks if you buy anything from the Amazon link!

National Library Week Day 1: Orange-Ricotta Pound Cake Bundt and Cookbook Giveaway

Orange-Ricotta Pound Cake Bundt with Marmalade Glaze

Bust out your library card and celebrate National Library Week with me! This is the 2nd annual celebration on the Food Librarian blog. Sometimes, I just gotta put the Librarian in the Food Librarian!

I know you are probably reading this on your own computer, but did you know that nearly 1/3 of the U.S. population over the age of 14 used the library's internet computers? As more companies only allow online applications (even if the job doesn't use computers), free internet access at the public library is one of our essential services.

I hope you take some time out this week to celebrate libraries and the library staff. Libraries are special places where you can find a book, DVD, music, story time, job announcements, research assistance, and free internet access. Stop by to enjoy a seminar, join a knitting group, or get help learning about your genealogy.

This is the Librarian Action Figure (modeled after real-life librarian and author Nancy Pearl).
Don't laugh. How many other occupations have their own action figure?!
Sadly though, the only action this librarian does is raise her arm to Shush. Sigh.

Of course I start the week with a Bundt. No. Big. Surprise. I now live close to a Bristol Farms (California grocery store that is really pretty and really expensive). Last winter I picked up their free magazine. And what caught my eye? Oh, yes, the Bundt on the Cover.

This bundt is easy to make and uses ricotta cheese. It is the first time I'm using ricotta in baking, and not a lasagna.

Glazed with orange marmalade and filled with orange zest, this bundt is a winner. The recipe is from Lauren Chattman's book: Cake Keeper Cakes: 100 Simple Recipes for Extraordinary Bundt Cakes, Pound Cakes, Snacking Cakes and Other Good-To-The-Last-Crumb Treats... and you can win it!

I'm having 5 days of giveaways during National Library Week!

To celebrate Day 1 of National Library Week, I'm giving away the following to one lucky winner:
a. Lauren Chattman's book: Cake Keeper Cakes: 100 Simple Recipes for Extraordinary Bundt Cakes, Pound Cakes, Snacking Cakes and Other Good-To-The-Last-Crumb Treats
b. Chef Set Page Tags

Get the book that has this yummy recipe. I just ordered it from Amazon and bought an extra copy for YOU!

Chef Set Page Tags (purchased from Girl of All Work) Aren't these the cutest flags ever? You can decorate your cookbook with these post-it notes.

To enter the Day 1 Giveaway, simply leave a comment below (one entry per person) and I'll pick the winner from a hat (aka Random). Deadline: Monday, April 19, 2010 at midnight PDT. If your comment isn't linked to a blog where I can find you, please leave your email. Shipping to U.S. addresses only. Librarian action figure not included.

Good luck with the giveaway and come back tomorrow as we continue to celebrate National Library Week! - mary the food librarian

Recipe: Orange-Ricotta Pound Cake with Marmalade Glaze
Click here for printable recipe

Adapted from Lauren Chattman's book, Cake Keeper Cakes: 100 Simple Recipes for Extraordinary Bundt Cakes, Pound Cakes, Snacking Cakes and Other Good-To-The-Last-Crumb Treats
Find out if your library has it here.

In the headnote, Laren Chattman says grapefruit zest and marmalade can be substituted
Cake:
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1 t salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups whole-milk ricotta cheese
3 large eggs, room temp
1/4 cup fresh orange juice (for me, that was one orange)
1 1/2 t vanilla extract
1 1/2 t orange zest (I used the zest of two oranges)

Glaze:
1/2 c orange marmalade (I bought mine at Trader Joe's)
2 t water

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Prep a 12-cup Bundt pan. (This is a big cake...Bristol Farm's magazine used the Bavaria Nordic Ware Bundt pan but that is a 10-cup pan. I didn't want to bake it in two pans so I used the original, classic 12-cup Bundt.)
2. Combine together: flour, baking powder and soda, and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
3. With the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar at medium-high until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes).
4. Add ricotta cheese and beat until smooth.
5. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well. Scrap down sides of batter after each egg.
6. Beat in orange juice, vanilla and orange zest.
7. With mixer on low, slowly add the flour mixture. Scrap down the sides a few times. After the last addition, mix for 30 seconds on medium speed...but don't overmix.
8. Pour batter into greased and floured (I use Pam with Flour spray) Bundt pan. Bake on the middle rack until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. It took my cake 55 minutes at 325 degrees. The instructions say "about 1 hour and 10 minutes" so please check early.
9. Cool cake in the pan for 15 minutes than depan onto a cooling rack. Cool completely before applying glaze.
10. For the glaze, heat the marmalade and water in a saucepan until everything is liquid. Brush it over the cake - I used a brush to coat the entire cake, but you can also just place on top and let it run down the sides. Let glaze cool before serving.
11. Like her book suggests, keep the cake in the Cake Keeper! Since I bring mine to work, it is gone by the afternoon.

Mark Bittman's Olive Oil Cake

I can't believe it has been 8 weeks since my last blood donation. The summer is just flying by. September in a few days? What the heck? Last time I gave blood, I brought my own post-donation cookie. This time, I can't have dairy so I made an Olive Oil Cake.

I just picked up Mark Bittman's two classics from the library: How to cook everything and How to cook everything vegetarian. They are going on my wishlist of cookbooks.

This cake was really lovely. It was moist and light. The eggs provide a nice sponge, and the glaze a bit of sweetness. I think you'll like it. And it was a delicious treat after giving blood! :)

I'll try this again with either lime, lemon or grapefruit...I love me the citrus.

Whipping the egg whites separately and folding them into the batter gives this cake a nice lift.

And don't forget...if you can give blood, it is much needed. Jan, the RN, at my blood donor center told me that the percent of eligible donors is now 46% of the population. And of the 46%, only 5% actually donate. So, if you can, please think about rolling up your sleeve to help out! Contact you local hospital or the Red Cross.

Olive Oil Cake
Adapted from Mark Bittman's "How to Cook Everything"

2 c all-purpose flour
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1/2 c extra virgin olive oil
3/4 c sugar + 1/4 c sugar
4 eggs, separated
1/3 c freshly squeezed orange juice
2 t grated or finely minced orange or lemon zest

1. Preheat oven to 350 degree.
2. Grease two 8- or 9-inch layer cake pans or one 9 x 13 pan. I used 9 x 13.
3. Combine in small bowl: flour, baking powder and salt.
4. Mix together oil, 3/4 c sugar until creamy. Add 4 egg yolks and beat until thick and fluffy (5-7 minutes)
5. Mix in dry ingredients until smooth. Add the orange juice and zest, and stir until blended. The batter will be pretty thick.
6. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until foamy, then add the 1/4 cup sugar. Beat until soft peaks.
7. I stirred 1/4 of the egg white mixture into the wet ingredients to lighten the batter. Carefully fold in the remaining egg whites.
8. Pour into pan(s). Bake for 35 minutes. If you used rounds, let them cool for 15 minutes before depanning. If you used the 9 x 13 pan, let it cool in the pan. Let cool completely before glazing.

Orange Glaze
1/2 c freshly squeezed orange juice
1 T grated orange zest
1/2 t vanilla extract
3 c confectioners' sugar
Mix together. Glaze the cake.

Recipes:
How to cook everything vegetarian by Mark Bittman, page 852 (has optional glaze recipes)
How to cook everything by Mark Bittman (10th Anniversary Edition) page 914 | glazes on page 919 and 924

California Citrus Tart (Navel, Cara Cara, Tangelo, Blood & Clementines)

California Citrus Rocks! Tart

If we were face-to-face, I would look you straight in the eye, get all serious and say:

"I have something to tell you.
{pause for emphasis here}
California. Citrus. Rocks."

I'm not kidding.

I went to the Studio City Farmers Market last weekend and picked up a bunch of citrus to make this Ode to California Citrus tart!

The Oranges:
Navel (front right big one)
Cara Cara (behind the blood)
Tangelo (funky top, back left)
Blood (middle front, reddish skin)

Clementine (note to self: not fun to section a little itty bitty Clementine tangerine!)

Outside alternates between the navel and pinkish Cara Cara orange. Next circle is tangelos and blood followed by those little tiny sectioned clementines.

Isn't the blood orange awesome!?

I made Dorie Greenspan's Sweet Tart (fully baked) and Ina Garten's Pastry Cream (I skipped the liquor and added the zest of one navel orange)

The pastry cream was a bit too soft so it oozed when sliced; next time I might make little tarts or figure out a way to make the cream more solid (cook it more?)

I glazed the tart with a bit of simple syrup to add a bit more sweetness and shine. I think I can skip that next time or use a warmed marmalade.

Recipes:
Cafe Johnsonia has great step-by-step photos to make Dorie Greenspan's Sweet Tart Dough. Ina's Pastry Cream recipe is on the Food Network's website.

This is a delicious dose of Vitamin C in a tart shell! My co-workers liked this a lot and I was really pleased with the combo of fresh citrus and well, lotsa butter and eggs! Caroline said it was like eating an orange creamsicle! :)

Orange Cornmeal Cake (Everyday Food)

Orange Cornmeal Cake (Everyday Food)

My Friday so far.
Get up late.
But want to bake.
Check my Delicious account for items tagged “quick.”
Find this recipe.
Make and bake.
Shower and get ready.
Pull cake out of oven.
Look at clock. Eeck!
Put the hot cake on cooling rack in my car.
Drive to work.
Take some photos in the library (sorry for the bad lighting – it was raining outside). Thanks to the Children's Librarian for letting me borrow a piece of blue construction paper for the background!

And now we are at my lunch hour.

Not much to say besides MAKE THIS CAKE. Here's the recipe!

I used navel or Valencia oranges (can never tell them apart) from my neighbor’s yard (left) and some California grown Cara Cara Oranges (right). Have you had the Cara Cara? They are one of my favorites.

Granulated sugar tops the cake

This cake is super duper simple (one bowl, by hand, no melting, creaming, or getting anything to room temp). It uses olive oil so it’s dairy free (but does contain eggs). You can use either dry white wine or orange juice (I used fresh squeezed orange juice). And, as I joked with a co-worker, it has cornmeal...and that's a vegetable! :)

The only thing I might do different is bake it in a springform instead of a regular cake pan. You have 1/3 cup sugar on top and need to invert it. The springform would make that less messy. Cara Cara orange section garnish the cake.

Here's the recipe for Orange Cornmeal Cake! Make this cake and have a great weekend!!