New Year's Breakfast

Was Ina's sour cream coffee cake. A sweet start on a sunny January morning. Enough about New Years, on with the next :).

Perfect Cake.

You know I love me a pretty cake. Here is another sweet treat for your week. I can't wait for an excuse to make this one. Annie -- maybe this gets stored for a few years from now when Carter will remember her birthday yumminess :) ?

[images courtesy of Call me cupcake]

In The Kitchen

I'm planning an engagement party for this weekend and it reminded me that I've been wanting to post this Design*Sponge "In the Kitchen" for a while now. This contribution is by Ming Thompson from Ming Makes Cupcakes. I can't speak for the cake--I haven't tried it. But I can speak for this beautiful styling and photography. You know I'm a sucker for it. This party is not right for "Pistachio olive oil cake with fig compote filling and cream cheese frosting (MOUTHful), but maybe it'll go on my Thanksgiving list. For the full post visit here.

[images courtesy of Ming + Design*Sponge]

When Life Gives You Difficult Organs Make ...

I'm sorry for my brief absence, but the end of last week left me a little under the weather and unable to sit at my computer or feel very inspired. But as you well know by now, when I'm anxious, sad, celebrating or sick, I bake. And lucky me, home in Pennsylvania, my mom was packing a fancy dinner of Osso Bucco to take to friends in Maryland and had yet to choose a dessert. As usual I elbowed my way in there and decided on coconut layer cake.

She said chocolate,
I said sure ! How about coconut layer cake ?!
Whoops. It just sounded fresh and and spring like.
Decadent enough to stand up to Osso Bucco.
Airy enough that guests can still get up from the table at the end of the night.

Why does a little six inch cake feel regal and decadent ? I don't entirely know, but (unfortunately) I've had time to give it some thought.
This little friend finds decadence and regality from two of her traits ::
one, its in layers. Layers people. We're not talking your standard two-layer every-birthday-cake-you-ever-ate layers. We're talking 3 cakes, split and layered with coconut cream filling in between. That's six layers + cream.
Little 'round she may be, but short she is not. Height is almost always regal.
Second ? Coconut flakes. Yes, these flakes are decadent. I was daydreaming about these sweet shavings and thinking why do they feel so angelic ??
Of course it occurred, it is, after all, called Angel Flake Coconut.
I guess I'm not the first person to daydream in this fashion.
The cloud like, snow flake, petal appeal has sent others dreaming of the angels above.

And so on the bookends of feeling awful I was able to bake and then dress this sweet little thing on a little round, clean, white plate.
As a warning, sweet is no understatement. This cake is not for the faint of heart, rather for sweet tooths like me.
And my dad. And Liz. And my sister Kathryn.

Martha was, not surprisingly, my source for this one, and you can find the recipe here.
While I wait to learn why my body is acting up, there might be more baking in store.
Even if it does mean two stops to supply stores to learn 6 inch cake pans are not standard or carried (luckily had one !) and multiple grocery stores for the right ingredients.
Stay tuned.

Weekend Baking.

So my most recent creation does not look at all like one of Nikole's, but I had fun just the same, and employed the flag waving form of wishing a Happy Birthday. Again, no surprise, I turned to Smitten Kitchen's Best Birthday Cake. After reading reviews of her icing being a bit "sour" I took her suggestion of using the Instant Fudge Frosting. This was the simplest thing I've ever done in my life short of opening a container of Duncan Hines (which I avoid at all costs). You literally can just dump everything in the food processor !

There is something so wholesome and good about basic birthday cake right ? Like you think just for a second your sitting with a plastic table cloth in front of you and a tight rubber band under your chin. And that icing on your face is completely socially acceptable, and that if you feel like it, yes please, you'll take that scoop of Breyers' vanilla-chocolate-strawberry as well. Maybe we're following this course (where our chins are inches from our plates) with a good session of musical chairs, or maybe we're opening presents.

I love trying fancy desserts, but yellow cake with chocolate frosting is hard to beat. Would you believe that when people let me bake for their birthdays I sometimes feel guilty because I feel like they're doing me a favor ? An, "oye, Lizzy is asking if she can bake again...I guess we have no choice." But I do love it. So until someone mans up and admits this, baked goods comin up !

Bittersweet Chocolate + Candied Blood Orange

This was definitely one of the best chocolate desserts Ive ever made and I've made a lot. I would usually shy away from a citrus + chocolate combination (ain't my thang). I went for it against my better judgment though because the name has my father written all over it. I made it for Christmas, and it was welcomed with rave reviews (even I liked it). Valentine's Day seems appropriate to share delish chocolate indulgences. I found this one in Bon Apetit, and you can find it on Epicurious.

And I will write more on Ecuador--This has just been sitting tight waiting to be shared--so make it for someone sweet this weekend :).

Compote:

• 3 medium or 4 small blood oranges
• 2 1/2 cups (or more) water
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons Grand Marnier or other orange-flavored liqueur

Cake:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 pound bittersweet chocolate (do not exceed 61% cacao), chopped
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon Grand Marnier or other orange-flavored liqueur
• 2 teaspoons finely grated orange peel
• 4 large eggs
• 3/4 cup sour cream

Glaze:

• 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate (do not exceed 61% cacao), chopped
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
• 2 tablespoons dark corn syrup

Special equipment:
10-inch-diameter cake pan with 2-inch-high sides
Small offset spatula

For compote:
Cut ends off oranges. Cut oranges with peel lengthwise in half, then cut each half lengthwise into 3 wedges. Combine 2 1/2 cups water and sugar in large saucepan. Bring to boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add orange wedges and any accumulated juices to syrup and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until orange peel is soft and translucent and syrup is reduced and thickened, turning orange wedges occasionally and adding more water by 1/4 cupfuls as needed if syrup is too thick before orange wedges are soft, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in orange liqueur. Cool 15 minutes. Transfer to small container. Cover and chill. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 week ahead. Keep chilled. Bring to room temperature before using.

For cake:
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 325°F. Lightly butter 10-inch-diameter cake pan with 2-inch-high sides. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper; butter parchment.

Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Combine chocolate and butter in large metal bowl. Set bowl over saucepan of simmering water; stir until chocolate-butter mixture is melted and smooth. Remove bowl from over water; add both sugars, orange liqueur, and orange peel and whisk until blended (mixture will look grainy). Add eggs, 2 at a time, and whisk until just blended after each addition. Whisk in sour cream. Add flour mixture and stir in with rubber spatula just until incorporated. Transfer batter to prepared pan; spread evenly.

Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out with moist crumbs attached, about 50 minutes. Cool cake in pan on rack 30 minutes. Run small knife around sides of cake to loosen. Invert cake onto rack; peel off parchment. Cool cake completely (center may sink slightly).

For glaze:
Combine chocolate and butter in small metal bowl. Set bowl over saucepan of simmering water; stir until chocolate-butter mixture is melted and smooth. Whisk in corn syrup. Cool glaze until barely warm but still pourable, about 10 minutes.

Pour glaze onto center of cake. Using small offset spatula, spread glaze over top of cake, leaving 1/2-inch plain border around top edge. Let stand at room temperature until glaze sets, about 2 hours. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover with cake dome and store at room temperature.

Using hot dry knife and wiping knife clean between slices, cut cake into slices. Divide among plates. Serve some candied orange compote alongside.