Apple Cider Sauce Cake

Winter arrived yesterday in the form of a nice downpour with more expected to follow. Time to bake some old fashioned comfort food, which at this time of year usually means apples and spice in the form of a spoon dessert.

This is one of those crazy self-saucing cakes that sort of defies logic. There’s a layer of fruit on the bottom, a layer of cake batter and then a layer of liquid poured on top. Somehow, this strange arrangement magically bakes into a cake with a nice sauce that simmers the fruit. Fairly odd, but just the thing to enhance a rainy day.

Brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg add to the warmth of the dish in each layer. And since I’m a fiend for oatmeal, I tossed just a smidgeon into the cake mix for more texture and taste. Apple cider that’s been simmered with more cinnamon and brown sugar gets poured over the whole thing. Just 30 minutes later you have a soothing warm dessert. And a kitchen full of the very best aromas of winter.



Bench notes:
- I used Gala apples, which aren’t very sweet. Fujis or Granny Smith would also be good. Adjust for sugar.
- If you’re not a fan of oatmeal, just delete it. I’d be tempted to add ground pecans.
- Have the cider, brown sugar and cinnamon ready in a saucepan. Once the cake batter is mixed, work quickly to heat the cider mixture, pour it on and get it in the oven.
- Use unsweetened apple cider.
- This is a great dessert all by itself but of course lends well to serving with ice cream or a dollop of fresh cream.



Apple Cider Sauce Cake
Serves 9 - 12

2 apples
1 t lemon juice
1 T sugar
pinch of cinnamon

1 C flour
3 T old fashioned oats
1 3/4 t baking powder
1/4 t baking soda
generous 1/4 t salt
3/4 t cinnamon
pinch of freshly ground nutmeg
1/2 C + 2 T dark brown sugar, packed
1/2 C milk
2 oz (4 T) butter, melted
1 t vanilla
1 egg

1 C apple cider
1/4 C dark brown sugar, packed
1/2 t cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease the sides of an 8” x 8” baking dish.

Peel and core apples. Cut into thin slices and place in a bowl. Toss with lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of sugar and a pinch of cinnamon. Set aside.

For the cake batter, whisk together the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and brown sugar until completely combined.

In another bowl, whisk together the milk, melted butter, vanilla and egg until thoroughly blended. Using a fork, stir the flour mixture into the liquid until just incorporated and there are no dry streaks.

Toss the apples and spread them in an even layer in the prepared pan. Carefully spread the cake batter evenly on top of the apples, fully extending the batter to the edges and corners of the pan.

Combine cider, 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and bring it to a boil, stirring to dissolve. Remove from heat and pour over the cake batter. Do not stir or attempt to mix the liquid into the batter in any way.

Bake for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs. Place the cake on a wire rack for just a few minutes to rest. Serve warm.

Chocolate Banana Upside Down Cake

If you’ve ever eaten bananas with chocolate - ah, yes, there's the old-fashioned Banana Split - you know they are the best of friends. And since I had a couple of bananas on my kitchen table calling out to me, I thought I’d pair them up with a simple chocolate cake. And to make matters more inviting, it also seemed like a good idea to slice and bake the bananas into the cake with a butter and brown sugar caramel.

The cake is made with cake flour for tenderness, cocoa powder for rich chocolate depth and a pinch of cinnamon for a slight taste of spice. It’s an oil-based cake with a good ratio of brown sugar so it will stay moist if you happen to have leftovers.

Needless to say, this cake satisfies a winter urge for chocolate and the gooey caramelized bananas are the crowning touch. If you're like me and hate to see good fruit ripen without a plan, put your bananas to work in this simple dessert.


Bench notes:
- It’s important to use cake flour, which has less protein than all-purpose flour and therefore produces less gluten for a lighter, more tender crumb. If you can’t locate cake flour, you can make your own: For 1 1/2 cups of cake flour, measure out 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour and remove 3 tablespoons. Add 3 tablespoons of cornstarch and sift several times to be sure it’s completely blended. (Cornstarch inhibits the formation of gluten.)
- The cocoa powder is "bloomed" in hot water to intensify and deepen the flavor. You can substitute hot coffee if you'd like.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for about 15 minutes and then turn it out. It should still be fairly warm so when you turn it upside down to remove it the topping doesn’t stick to the bottom. I place a platter on top of the pan, invert quickly and then while still holding the plate and cake pan, give them a firm tap on the counter top. Voila!
- I think this tastes even better the next day.
- For something a bit fancier, serve with a scoop of vanilla, cinnamon or caramel ice cream.



Chocolate Banana Upside Down Cake
Serves 12

2 oz (4 T) butter
1/4 C + 2 T dark brown sugar, packed
2 - 3 ripe bananas

1 1/2 C cake flour
3/4 t baking soda
3/4 t salt
3/4 t cinnamon
1/2 C + 2 T cocoa powder
1/2 C + 2 T hot water
1/3 C buttermilk @ room temperature
1 1/2 t vanilla extract
1/4 C + 2 T canola oil
3/4 C granulated sugar
3/4 C dark brown sugar, packed
2 eggs @ room temperature

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease the sides of a 9-inch square pan.

For the topping, melt the butter in a saucepan. Whisk in the brown sugar and cook for a minute until blended. Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan and distribute it evenly across the entire bottom of the pan. Slice the bananas about 1/4” thick and arrange on top of the butter sugar mixture. Set aside.

Sift the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
Whisk together the cocoa powder and hot water until thoroughly blended and smooth.
Mix the buttermilk and vanilla extract.

Combine the oil, granulated sugar and brown sugar in a large bowl. The mixture will look like wet sand. Add the eggs and blend well. Whisk in the cocoa mixture. Stir in the dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with the buttermilk and beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix just until well blended. Pour into the prepared pan over the bananas and gently tap the bottom of the pan on the work surface a few times to remove any air bubbles.

Bake for about 33 - 35 minutes or until a toothpick tests with a few moist crumbs adhering. Cool 15 minutes. Run a thin bladed knife around the edges. Place a platter over the cake and invert. Cool completely.

Blueberry Slump

Here we are in the midst of winter and I’m dreaming about blueberries. So when I saw them at the market, I impulsively grabbed them for purchase. They’re not in season but I couldn’t resist. Blueberries just have their way.

With all the hubbub and festivity of the holidays behind us, it feels like a good time to get way back to the basics, so here I am with a Blueberry Slump. There are a lot of different old-fashioned recipes for fruit puddings and cakes that vary in the way the fruit and cake parts are co-mingled. A slump is somewhere in the same universe as a cobbler and a buckle, a sort of dumpling-cake-like pudding, which in the old days was steamed on top of the stove. This dessert is a happy combination of blueberries and bits of cake that get baked in the oven and emerge in a marbled swirl of light cake and juicy fruit.

The blueberries are simmered with some sugar just enough to coax out their inky jammy goodness. Then a good blast of lemon juice is added to keep the flavor bright. The cake is made with brown sugar and a jolt of cinnamon to make it all the more interesting. Once baked it really does seem to kind of all slump together, a welcome blueberry feast in January.



Bench notes:
- The sugar added to the blueberries is kept at a minimum to allow the fruit to shine. Add more sugar if you prefer a sweeter taste.
- I used cinnamon. I imagine other spices would work as well. I think cardamom would be great.
- The blueberry mixture, including juices, gets layered under and on top of batter. As it bakes, the cake rises and dances with the blueberries in an interesting way.
- You can make 4 large servings or 5 - 6 more modest servings. Watch baking time. Or bake in an 8" x 8" pan, which will take a bit longer. You'll know it's done when the fruit is bubbling and the cake springs back when lightly touched.
- This is really best served warm.
- I think this would be great with just about any sort of fruit. Adjust sugar and cornstarch accordingly, e.g., figs would probably not need any cornstarch and peaches might not need as much sugar.



Blueberry Slump
Serves 4 - 6

1/4 C sugar
1/4 C water
1 t cornstarch
12 oz blueberries (about 2 C)
1 T + 1 t lemon juice

1 C flour
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t cinnamon
heaping 1/4 t salt
1/2 C light brown sugar
2/3 C buttermilk
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 oz (4 T) butter, melted
1 t vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter 4 - 6 4 1/2” ramekins, depending on desired serving size. Place on a baking sheet.

For the blueberries, combine 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup water and cornstarch in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve. Add blueberries and simmer over medium low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 3 – 4 minutes or until the blueberries soften and release their juices. Take off the heat and add lemon juice. Set aside.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and light brown sugar.

In a separate bowl, whisk buttermilk, egg, melted butter and vanilla. Add flour mixture and whisk just until blended.

Scoop a heaping tablespoon of blueberries into the bottom of each ramekin.
Portion batter on top. Spoon remaining blueberry sauce over batter.

Bake for about 20 – 24 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. Serve warm.

Apple Brown Betty

After a week of lots of amazing food at many different celebratory tables, this might be a good time to return to something not terribly rich or fussy. This Apple Brown Betty certainly fits the bill. Although it’s been around since colonial times, I’ve just discovered in the waning days of 2011 yet another way to enjoy the pleasures of fresh fruit prepared simply.

Bread makes a strong showing in the realm of desserts in the form of Apple Charlotte, bread pudding and summer pudding. Apple Brown Betty is a combination of simmered apples and toasted breadcrumbs. Not at all fancy but tremendously satisfying and easy to prepare. Some recipes call for baking the dish in the oven but I took the easy route. In this version, I toast the breadcrumbs with butter, brown sugar and cinnamon and simply sprinkle them on top of apples that have been sautéed with vanilla and a splash of lemon on the stove top. Just a few ingredients and a couple of quick steps and you have an enjoyable treat to share on a cozy evening.

I wish everyone a very, very Happy New Year. May we all have lots of delicious moments and morsels in 2012 and savor each and every one of them to the fullest.

Bench notes:
- I chose Fuji apples for this dessert.
- Use your favorite bread, such as pain de mie, whole wheat or levain. I used a baguette, including the crust.
- Add a small dash of rum or brandy to the apples for something a bit more festive.
- For more embellishment, serve with ice cream, a dollop of whipped cream or honeyed yogurt.
- You can make this ahead and reheat in a 350 degree oven for about 10 - 15 minutes.


Apple Brown Betty
Serves 6

5 slices of firm bread
2 oz (4 T ) butter
2 T dark brown sugar, packed
1/2 t cinnamon

5-6 apples
3 T butter
juice and zest of 1/2 lemon
1 vanilla bean
1/4 C sugar

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Tear bread into small pieces and place in the bowl of a food processor. Process briefly to make coarse bread crumbs. Pour into a bowl.

Line a baking sheet with parchment. Melt the butter and whisk in the brown sugar and cinnamon. Drizzle over breadcrumbs and toss quickly to coat. Spread out in one layer on baking sheet.

Toast the breadcrumbs in the oven, stirring occasionally and turning pans halfway through, until golden brown and crisp, about 25 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Peel, core and slice apples into 1/4" wedges. Melt butter in a large sauté pan. Split vanilla bean, scrape the seeds and add to butter along with the bean casing. Stir to distribute. Add apples, lemon juice and zest. Cover and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes. Remove vanilla bean. Add sugar and continue to cook and stir until the sugar dissolves. Taste for sweetness. Top with toasted breadcrumbs and serve warm.

Chocolate Phyllo Napoleons with Pear and Raspberries

As we busy ourselves preparing for upcoming holiday meals and festive parties in celebration with friends and family, perhaps among your platters there will be small morsels of phyllo dough hors d’oeuvres. And if you happen to have a few spare sheets of phyllo, Chocolate Napoleons are an easy and super delicious way to enjoy the remainder.

This is a riff on a dessert from Gale Gand featured in the grand Baking with Julia collection. It’s a crispy crunchy lighter-than-air dream of a pastry that has guests devouring every morsel faster than you can say, would you like some dessert? It’s one of my favorites because it’s a perfect combination of textures and flavors that combine seamlessly, one into another. The cocoa is not overwhelming, the pears and raspberries freshen the palate and the cream makes it feel like the purest of luxuries. It's nearly weightless and there is no feeling of over consumption once you’ve enjoyed every last bite.

To prepare the pastry, cocoa powder is added to melted butter to make a thin paste, which is then slathered on sheets of phyllo. Each sheet is sprinkled copiously with sugar that I’ve combined with cardamom. The phyllo is baked flat and then broken randomly into crisp, crunchy shards of pastry. Using phyllo instead of the usual puff pastry creates thinner, crispier, lighter layers that snap into tastes of only slightly sweet chocolate.

It took me much longer to think about composing this than it actually takes to make it. Once you have the phyllo baked off, the dessert is assembled in just a few seconds. Poached pears are layered with billows of whipped cream scented with almond extract and the whole dish is garnished with a few slightly sauced tart raspberries. And in no time at all, it will be blissfully enjoyed by all.

I send everyone my very best wishes for a really wonderful holiday. May your days be merry and bright. Cheers!!


Bench notes:
- A few tips for working with phyllo: 1) Phyllo is usually found in the frozen food section of your market. Let it thaw at least 24 hours in your refrigerator without opening the package. (Trying to hurry the thawing process @ room temperature will result in phyllo that has too much moisture. Also, if you try to work with it when it’s too cold, it will crack.) Thawed phyllo in the package will keep in your refrigerator a few days. 2) Always have all your ingredients ready before you remove the phyllo from the packaging. Set up your work station so your phyllo and butter are in close proximity. 3) Remove the phyllo from the packaging and unfold it on a clean dry towel. Cover it immediately with another clean dry towel so that the entire surface is covered. (Although some suggest a moist towel, I find that only tends to render the phyllo sort of gummy.) The sheets are very thin and they will dry out and become brittle very, very quickly if they make contact with air for just a couple of minutes. So cover them completely after you remove each sheet. Keep your hands dry. 3) Don’t worry if a sheet tears. Just patch it with the piece that broke off. It doesn’t matter much because the sheets get layered. 4) Unused phyllo should be rewrapped tightly in the same protective packaging ASAP and refrigerated immediately. It will keep for a couple of days. Some people say it can be tightly packaged and re-frozen but I haven’t tried it.
- Gale Gand’s version of this dessert looks delicious and includes layers of chocolate ganache and simmered cranberries instead of raspberries. I omitted the ganache because I wanted the dessert to be lighter and I thought it would overpower the fruit. I couldn’t find fresh cranberries so I used raspberries. I think they make a perfect substitution. I also cut the butter in half. (She doesn’t appear to use it all in the making of her version.) For a step-by-step demonstration of how Gale Gand prepares her dessert, watch the video. Her original recipe is also included there.
- If you have a standard 13" x 18" half-sheet baking pan, you can simply make one large 3 layer pastry rather than cutting the phyllo in half and making two separate 3 layer pastries. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of sugar on each layer.
- Once the chocolate phyllo is baked let it cool completely before handling. It will darken and firm up once it’s cool. Carefully peel off the parchment and handle it very gently.
- In general, I never suggest canned fruit but if you’re crunched for time or if you don’t have access to fresh and you can find a good can of pears go ahead and substitute that for the fresh. Be sure to drain the pears on paper towels before assembling the dessert.



Chocolate Phyllo Napoleons with Pear and Raspberries
based on a recipe by Gale Gand in Baking with Julia by Dorie Greenspan
Serves 4

2 small firm but ripe pears
2 1/2 C water
1 C sugar
1 t fresh lemon juice
1/4 vanilla bean, split and seeded

2 oz (4 T) butter
2 T cocoa powder, preferably Dutch-processed
1/4 C sugar
1/2 t cardamom
3 sheets of phyllo, 13” x 17”

1 6 oz packet of fresh raspberries
2 t sugar
1 C whipping cream
1 T sugar
1/4 t almond extract, to taste

confectioner’s sugar, for dusting

To poach the pears, bring the water, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla bean to a low simmer. Peel the pears. Slice in half and core them. Place in the poaching liquid as you go. Cut out a piece of parchment to fit the surface of the poaching liquid and place it on top to seal in the steam. Simmer for about 10 - 15 minutes until tender. Remove from heat and cool completely.

Using a slotted spoon, remove the pear halves from the poaching liquid and place on paper towels to absorb any excess liquid. Take a paring knife, slice into quarters and cut 1/4” vertical slices into each piece from blossom to stem end, stopping about 1/2 inch from the top so that the slices remain connected. Set aside.

Melt the butter and whisk in the cocoa to make a thin paste. Set aside. Combine sugar and cardamom together and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place two more sheets of parchment and another baking sheet nearby.

Open the phyllo package and place the sheets on a clean dry towel. Cover the entire surface of the phyllo immediately with another clean dry towel. Remove 3 sheets of phyllo and cut in half crosswise to create six 8 1/2” x 13” rectangles. Return them back under the dry towel and keep them covered.

Place one of the half pieces of phyllo on the parchment-lined baking sheet, brush it with cocoa butter mixture and sprinkle with 1/2 tablespoon of the cardamom sugar mixture. Cover with another sheet of phyllo, brush with cocoa-butter, and sprinkle with 1/2 tablespoon sugar. Repeat with one more phyllo sheet and sprinkle the last phyllo sheet with 1/2 tablespoon sugar. Cover the stack with a piece of parchment paper and repeat this process - stacking, brushing, and sprinkling with the remaining 3 sheets of phyllo and sugar. Cover with parchment paper and top with a baking sheet to weight the phyllo and keep it from puffing.

Bake the phyllo for 10 to 15 minutes, until the sheets are golden and crispy. Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack, remove top baking sheet and cool completely. Once cooled, carefully remove the parchment and separate the two consolidated stacks of pastry. Gently break each sheet into 6 pieces for a total of 12 pieces to allow 3 phyllo shards for each napoleon.

Place half the raspberries in a small bowl and sprinkle them with 2 teaspoons of sugar. Macerate for about 20 minutes, then press through a strainer to remove the seeds. Toss this sauce with the remaining fresh whole raspberries. Set aside.

Whip the cream, sugar and almond extract just to a very soft peak.

To assemble the napoleons, place a small dab of whipped cream in the center of each of four dessert plates. Rest a shard of cocoa phyllo on the cream and press it down gently to anchor it. Top with a spoonful of whipped cream. Fan the slices of pear and place them on top of the cream. Add another small dollop of cream. Repeat with phyllo, cream, pear and more cream, topping with a third piece of phyllo. Dust each top piece of phyllo with confectioner’s sugar. Garnish with raspberries. Serve immediately.

Pfeffernüsse Cookies

For me, the holiday season hasn’t really begun unless and until I reach into my cupboard for several jars of spice. Whether it’s pumpkin pie, gingerbread or cookies, the kitchen isn’t really firing on all cylinders until it’s full of the aromas and flavors of the sweetness of cinnamon, the brightness of nutmeg, the complexity of allspice, the magic of cardamom or the depth of cloves.

Most countries have a long tradition of preparing some sort of spice cookie for the holidays. Some of my favorites are Lebkuchen (Germany), Cuccidati (Italy), Pepparkakor (Sweden) and Basler Brunsli (Switzerland). I’m sure your family has its own must-haves each year.

One cookie I haven’t tried is the Pfeffernüsse from Germany. Translated as “pepper nuts,” these include freshly ground pepper for a more complex spicy sensation. There’s also molasses for the delicious richness so typical of the season.

This recipe is from Williams Sonoma. The cookies are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside and are a perfect representation of the holiday spirit. I hope you are well on your way to preparing your cookie platters to the delight of family, friends and neighbors.


Bench notes:
- There are of course lots of different versions of this cookie. Some are finished with lemon glaze rather than confectioner’s sugar, which sounds intriguing.
- I used a #40 ice cream scoop to portion these cookies. It speeds up the process and creates uniform cookies. You can make smaller cookies for a higher yield and bake them 10 – 12 minutes.
- This is always a perfect time of year to check your inventory of spices to make sure they’re fresh. I like to buy in small quantities from my local bulk store.
- If you're like me, you may want to increase the spices if you like more depth. I doubled the cinnamon and used heaping amounts of allspice and nutmeg.


Pfeffernüsse Cookies
adapted from Williams Sonoma Holiday Baking by Jeanne Thiel Kelley
Makes 28 2” cookies

2 1/4 C flour
1/2 t salt
1/2 t ground black pepper
1/2 t crushed anise seed
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t baking soda
1/4 t allspice
1/4 t nutmeg
1/8 t cloves
4 oz (1 stick) butter @ room temperature
3/4 C light brown sugar, firmly packed
1/4 C molasses
1 egg @ room temperature
2 C confectioners' sugar, for dusting (I used much less)

Sift together the flour, salt, pepper and spices.
Beat the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Beat in the molasses.
Add the egg and combine thoroughly. Scrape down the bowl.
Lower the speed and add the flour mixture. Beat just until the dough is nearly combined. Remove from the mixer and finish mixing the dough using a rubber spatula. Place the dough onto a piece of plastic and shape into a disc. Wrap tightly and refrigerate until the dough firms up.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare two baking sheets with parchment or silpats. Portion dough into balls 1 1/2” in diameter. Place cookie sheets about 2” apart.

Bake until the cookies are golden brown on the bottom and firm to the touch, about 13 - 15 minutes. Cool slightly on a wire rack. Dust or roll the cookies in confectioner’s sugar.