I’ve been in a kind of E-Z Bake mood this week, happy about the beautiful weather and hungry for something sweet but not decadent-sweet like a big fat frosted layer cake, something spring-sweet, that is “not too”. Also, something that would take advantage of our local produce and pique my baking curiosity. “How in the world would that turn out?” got me involved with the Spanish almond cake, or tarta de Santiago. I was a little taken aback by the price of blanched almond flour from Bob’s Red Mill, (I used the natural instead of blanched), but the price was worth it. This little tarta is great! A bit chewy, not too sweet, but with the crunch of turbinado sugar and the sliced almonds — you can’t walk past it without snitching a little crumb or two. It keeps well, is easy to make and is wonderful served with fresh mixed berries and a dollop of crème fraiche. Don’t worry about the flips from pan to plate — tarta is sturdy and aims to please.
Spanish Almond Cake
Chef notes: This flourless cake from Galicia, Spain, is traditionally made with separated eggs and flavored with citrus and/or cinnamon. We liked it made more simply, with whole eggs and just a small measure of vanilla and almond extracts. A sprinkling of chopped almonds and coarse raw sugar on top of the batter gives the surface a chewy-crisp crust that contrasts wonderfully with the dense, plush crumb of the cake’s interior.
This recipe by Julia Rackow serves 8, and takes about an hour, plus 10 minutes active cooling.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons white sugar
- 3 large eggs, plus 3 large egg whites
- ¼ teaspoon table salt
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2½ cups blanched almond flour
- 3 tablespoons turbinado or demerara sugar
- ⅓ cup sliced almonds, lightly chopped
Directions: Heat the oven to 350 degrees with a rack in the middle position. Mist the bottom and sides of a 9-inch round cake pan with cooking spray, line the bottom with a round of kitchen parchment, then mist the parchment.
In a large bowl, combine the white sugar, whole eggs and egg whites, salt and both extracts. Whisk vigorously until well combined, 30 to 45 seconds; the mixture will be slightly frothy and the sugar will not be fully dissolved. Add the almond flour and whisk until incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, then sprinkle evenly with the turbinado sugar and chopped almonds. Bake until deeply browned and the crust feels firm when gently pressed with a finger, 45 to 55 minutes. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
Run a knife around the edges of the cake, then invert onto a plate. Remove the pan and parchment then re-invert the cake onto a serving plate. Let cool completely before serving.
Tip: Don’t underbake the cake. Rather than use a skewer or toothpick to test the center for doneness, check the browning and crust development. The cake is ready when the surface is deeply browned and the crust feels firm when gently pressed with a finger. Don’t serve the cake warm. Its texture is best when fully cooled.
Spring is the season for rhubarb, at least at my grandmother’s house, and fat, red planks of it at S&S Produce caught my attention, as did this rhubarb upside-down cake recipe by Kenzi Wilbur for Saveur Magazine.
I didn’t have a 9-inch cast-iron skillet, so I used my 12-inch and added a couple of extra ribs of rhubarb. This cake is rustic-looking but the contrast between the sweet-tart rhubarb and the biscuit-y cake is good. Slightly warm with ice cream would be my choice for serving.
There are prettier variations of rhubarb upside-down cake out there, one by Melissa Clark and another by Martha Stewart, but they use cake pans and a more cake-like batter. They don’t sauté the rhubarb in sugar, butter and lemon juice before adding the cake batter, so their rhubarb stays pink and pretty. I was intrigued by the cast-iron skillet idea, but if you’re looking for something a notch up from rustic, try one of the other recipes.
Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake
Recipe author Kenzi Wilbur notes: Melt rhubarb, butter, sugar together in a cast iron skillet, then lay down clumps of sturdy dough onto the warm fruit, less like a blanket and more like a dowdy, misshapen comforter. It will feel a lot like a cobbler, and you’ll worry you’re doing something wrong. Put it in the oven. The cake’s baking soda will pinch hit, making the batter rise on up to cover any spots of rhubarb you may have missed. (In this way, it’s like a tarte tatin you can’t mess up.) It will grow into a cake. Say a quick prayer and flip it upside-down. You’ll wonder again, briefly, if this is actually a cobbler. Trust it. What you’ll reveal is an underside that’s a mess of girlishly pink, warm rhubarb jam perched smugly on top of a buttery crumb. “Did you think I wasn’t going to work?” it’ll coo. This recipe is adapted from Saveur.
The cake takes about 30 minutes to prepare and 45 minutes to cook. It serves eight to 10.
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus 1 stick and 6 tablespoons cut into 1/2-inch cubes and chilled
- Zest of one lemon
- 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt, divided
- Scant 1-pound rhubarb, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/3 cup whole milk
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- Ice cream or whipped cream for serving, optional
Directions: Heat oven to 375 degrees. Melt 1 cup of the sugar, 4 tablespoons butter, lemon zest and juice, vanilla, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt in a 9-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat. When the butter and sugar have melted together, add the rhubarb pieces and cook, stirring occasionally, until rhubarb is tender and slightly caramelized, 6 to 8 minutes, depending on the thickness of your rhubarb stalks.
Meanwhile, whisk together remaining sugar and salt, plus flour and baking powder in a bowl. Add remaining butter, and using your fingers, rub into flour mixture to form coarse pea-size pieces. Like former New York City pastry chef Phyllis Grant would say, “make like you’re snapping your fingers.” Add milk and eggs and stir until a soft, sticky dough forms. If your eggs are on the small side, you may need an extra splash of milk for the dough to come together.
Place pieces of dough over the hot rhubarb mixture, trying to cover the entire surface. It will feel a little like you’re making a cobbler, but the dough will rise up and fill in any holes you’ve left. Bake on a baking sheet until the cake is golden and cooked through, about 30 to 35 minutes. Remove skillet from oven and let the cake rest for about 10 minutes. Place a large, flat serving platter on top of the skillet and invert quickly and carefully. You might need help with this flip — I had to call in the son-in-Law to flip the 12-inch cast-iron skillet. Even a fail is delicious — remember this is rustic. Serve warm or at room temperature with ice cream or whipped cream, if you like, but it’s just as good plain.
Happy spring — get those tomatoes planted and crack open the windows to blow out the musty winter!
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Interesting things to bake | Sweet Basil and the Bee - Chico Enterprise-Record
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