Cherry Cornmeal Upside Down

I'm sure you know the story - girl goes to Costco, girl sees beautiful sweet red cherries, girl buys WAY too many. There's only one logical solution, and that's to find a glorious recipe to use them up!

I love the drama of upside down cakes, but most recipes end up making a topping that's sticky sweet and overwhelms any other flavors in the cake. When I found this recipe (originally for apricots), I knew it was something special. The cornmeal and whole wheat pastry flour add some heft to the cake itself, but the result is still very moist and tender with the brightness of lemon. I cut the brown sugar in the topping down so the cherry flavor could shine through, so if you want something more intense you can double the amount.

This is the perfect brunch or tea-time treat, not too sweet but showcasing flavors of whatever fruit you choose to include. What a lovely discovery!

Cherry Cornmeal Upside Down Cake
Adapted from Sinfully Spicy
Makes one 8" cake

~2 C Bing or other sweet cherries
1/4 C brown sugar
1 C whole wheat pastry flour or AP flour
1/2 C granulated sugar
1/2 C cornmeal (I used Bob's Red Mill stone ground corn flour)
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 C buttermilk (or 3/4 C milk + 2 1/4 tsp white vinegar)
2 eggs
2 Tbsp butter, melted
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
grated zest of 1 lemon

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease one 8" cake pan with butter or nonstick cooking spray. Wash cherries, then cut them in half and pit them.

Spread brown sugar evenly along bottom of cake pan. Place cherries cut side down in concentric circles on top of the sugar layer so the entire surface is covered.

Whisk together flour, granulated sugar, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Whisk together buttermilk, eggs, butter, oil, vanilla and lemon zest in another small bowl. Add wet ingredients to dry, then fold gently together with a spatula until combined.

Pour cake batter over the cherries in the pan, and use spatula to even out the surface. Bake for 30-35 minutes until top is lightly browned and a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Let the pan sit on a wire rack for 10 minutes before running a knife around the edge and turning the cake out onto the rack to cool completely.

Plain...

Just plain delicious!

Southern comfort

I'll go ahead and venture that aside from ice cream, pie is one of my all-time favorite comfort foods. Put ice cream on a warm slice of pie and you'll be my friend for life. We all know, that pies are a bit of an undertaking and they're definitely not something I whip up on a regular basis, but finishing my first quarter of my doctorate program was absolutely such an occasion (confession: I made this pie before I finished my final exams. But we'll gloss over the procrastination aspect of this project and just call it a celebration).

I haven't made an apple pie in ages, and for good reason. It takes about a year to peel and slice all the apples, another seven or eight months to make the dough, chill it and roll it out to make it fit a pie pan, and a generally unreasonable amount of time to cool before you can dig in. With that said, this recipe may be worth the wait.

I have recently discovered bourbon - yes, I know - and it's probably the first liquor that I've ever actually wanted to savor the taste of. The good stuff is round, sweet and the perfect accompaniment to the tartness of apples and zing of cinnamon. I think that splashing some Maker's Mark into the mix added a depth of flavor that you can't get anywhere else - you don't taste "alcohol" but there's a little something extra that made me a lot of friends from this pie.

Note: I only made one recipe of pie crust and it was definitely not enough for me to roll out and make two complete pie crusts (hence the streusel topping). If you want to make the traditional second crust of the apple pie, make twice this crust recipe and roll out, cut and top the pie as you choose. Just make sure you crimp the two edges together and cut some holes in the top for steam if you're leaving it whole and not in strips!

Bourbon Apple Pie
Crust from Joy of Baking
Filling adapted from Sweet Pea's Kitchen

Crust
2 1/2 C all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 C (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces and chilled
1/4-1/2 C ice water

Directions: Blend flour, salt and sugar in a food processor. Add butter and process for about 15 seconds, until the mixture looks like coarse meal. Pour 1/4 C of ice water in and process until the dough starts to hold together (you may need a little bit more). Don't overmix! Remove dough and dust with flour, then wrap with plastic and flatten into a disc. Chill for at least one hour before using.

Filling
6 medium-sized tart apples (I used Braeburn, Cortland and Golden Delicious)
1/3 C Kentucky bourbon (the good stuff!)
1/2 C packed brown sugar
1/4 C granulated sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
4 tsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp lemon juice

Streusel topping
1/2 C all-purpose flour
1/2 C packed brown sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
5 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into chunks and chilled

Directions: Peel and slice all of the apples - I cut them into quarters, removed the core and then sliced the wedges into 1/4 inch thick pieces. In a large saucepan, mix together apples, bourbon, sugars, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cornstarch. Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until apples are fork-tender but not mushy (about 15-20 minutes). Uncover and cook for another 5 minutes until the liquid is glossy and a little thickened. Remove from heat, add lemon juice and let cool to room temperature (about 30 minutes).

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove dough round from refrigerator and roll out on a floured surface to a little more than 1/4" thickness. Transfer to pie pan by folding round in half and moving it, or draping over your rolling pin. Pat dough gently down into sides and bottom of pan, and crimp edge.

Combine all ingredients for streusel in a food processor and pulse until the butter is in small pieces and the mixture is crumbly. Set aside.

Pour cooled apple mixture into pie pan and spread to fill it evenly. Sprinkle streusel mixture all over top of pie. Cut foil strips and use them to cover the edge of the crust (it will prevent burning of the edge). Bake for about 50 minutes, removing foil halfway through. The pie is done when the crust is golden brown and you can see some bubbling from the filling.


Now here comes the hard part: you have to let it cool for at least 1 hour before you eat. This gives the filling a chance to set - if you cut into it right away you will have cinnamon apple soup!

Peachy

Cakes rely on fat content to stay tender and moist. Start taking out butter and you're left with a sad, dry excuse for a dessert; I say, if your'e going to eat it, just do it. However, it is possible to switch up the fat source in a recipe, which is what I experimented with in this cake - olive oil!
Extra-virgin olive oil is perfect for adding a fruity, earthy flavor to a salad dressing, marinade or even baked goods. If you have a nice gourmet bottle, this recipe would be the time to use it, because it lends a fantastic subtlety to the cake.

I had a few ripe peaches in the fridge that I was itching to experiment with, so I wanted to do something that incorporated a peach cobbler-esque topping. The olive oil cake recipe I found was the perfect setting, and balanced out the sweetness well. Obviously this cake is well-suited to eating at any time of the day, but I especially enjoyed it warmed up with a cup of tea before bed.

Note: I used peaches, but I'm sure this method would work brilliantly with apples or nectarines :)

Peachy Olive Oil Cake
Adapted from In Jennie's Kitchen
Makes one 10-inch round cake


2 C whole wheat pastry flour (lighter and finer than all-purpose whole wheat flour)
3/4 C sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/2 C extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 C milk
2 peaches, sliced into wedges about 1/8 inch wide

1/4 C packed brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon (to taste)
1/2 tsp nutmeg (to taste)

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 10-inch round cake pan (springform is best, but a standard pan is fine). Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a small bowl. In a large bowl, whisk eggs, olive oil and vanilla until frothy. Gradually whisk in dry ingredients, then stir in milk until just combined. Pour into pan.
In another bowl, combine peach slices, cinnamon and nutmeg to taste. Toss until all slices are coated, then arrange on top of the cake batter so all of the surface is covered and there is some slight overlap - the more peaches you can fit the better!
Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Be careful not to be fooled by the topping that stays moist - overcooking it will make a dry and unhappy cake.

A very happy birthday

I have to begin this post by raving about my friends. I don't know where I'd be without them, other than a very unhappy and not fun place. My boyfriend is also kind of the coolest person I know. They are without a doubt the greatest birthday present I could ever receive, and I get to have that gift all year long! The second greatest present I could receive (besides a trip to Paris, which I don't expect anyone to get me because that's ridiculous) is...

THIS BAD BOY

Let's just say that I was more than a little excited and speechless, and I'm really glad I didn't have to get married in order to register for this Kitchenaid mixer as a gift. Seems like a lot of trouble for an appliance, but it certainly crossed my mind...

I'm going to save you my ravings about it and simply say this - it is the single most useful thing a person who bakes can own. I've had a hand mixer for a long time, but this will expand my baking escapades considerably!

My birthday was a spectacular weekend spent at home with friends and family and in Napa with my two best girl friends. In celebration (and because I really wanted to try this experiment), I made two different kinds of cupcakes. It was a very successful endeavor and I will definitely be keeping these in my cupcake arsenal! I love summer fruits and berries, and my two absolute favorite are raspberries and peaches. There was no other logical choice than to bake with both of them, and I created raspberry cupcakes with lemon cream cheese frosting and "peach cobbler cupcakes" (cinnamon and peach cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese frosting). I used the same white cake and cream cheese frosting base for both of them, and added ingredients as needed after both were made. Light, refreshing and absolutely fantastic :)

White Cake base 

Makes about 12 cupcakes

 

1 1/2 C all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 C sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk (or milk + 1 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice)

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt. In a large bowl, beat together sugar, butter and eggs until smooth. Add vanilla extract. Alternatively beat in flour mixture and buttermilk, making three additions of flour mixture and two of milk.

For RASPBERRY cupcakes: Rinse about two cups of fresh raspberries and pat dry. Add to batter and beat until berries are slightly broken up and the batter has turned light pink.

For PEACH cupcakes: Skin a ripe peach and cut into small cubes. In a food processor, puree the fruit. Add peach puree and 1 tsp cinnamon to the batter and beat until incorporated.

Scoop batter into prepared pan. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean and tops of cupcakes spring back when lightly touched. Let cool in pan on rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool completely on rack. Frost.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Makes enough frosting for about 12 cupcakes

16 oz cream cheese (2 packages), softened

1/2 C butter, softened

2 C powdered sugar, sifted

1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions: Beat together cream cheese and butter. Add powdered sugar gradually until frosting is formed. Beat in vanilla extract. You can refrigerate/freeze this as needed!

For LEMON frosting: Beat in approximately 1/4 C lemon curd (to taste).

For CINNAMON frosting: Beat in approximately 1 tsp cinnamon (to taste).