Please allow me this bright and promising Monday morning to keep it one hundred percent real with you.  While this gluten free cake was buttery, nutty, bright with the flavor of lemon and perfectly sweet, the truth is, it ended up all over my floor.  Well… ok, bits on the floor, chunks on the counter, and pieces in my dirty sink.  Basically, this cake landed everywhere except the cake plate where I wanted it.

I salvaged a few if the larger pieces to mock up a pretty picture for you.  For a few moments I thought I might not even tell you about my cake accident.  But… see, my cake didn’t just land on the floor because I’m clumsy, but because I was taking baking liberties that I shouldn’t have.  Fact.

This cake taught me a small lesson about baking pan choices and cooking times.  It also helped me get my cake dropping out of the way for the next several months.  I only drop a cake every three months or so.  I feels good to be free and clear for a few months to come.

Here’s what you should know about this cake.  The crumb is held together with butter, almond flour and eggs.  While the cake is full of great flavor, it’s a bit crumbly.  To best work with the crumb of this cake, I think it would be best baked in mini loaf pans, or mini bundt pans, or those long and skinny loaf pans (6×2 1/2-inches) if you have them.  Cupcakes also worked out well, baking for 20 to 25 minutes, until the edges were nice and brown.  Regular sized, larger loaf pans will most likely create a cake that is sunken in the middle.  Bundt pans.. well that’s how I dropped my cake on the floor… no good.

When it comes to baking this beauty, you might be surprised when I say: longer is better.  We’re not looking for a lightly colored American style cake here.  We’re looking for a French brown:  a baked good left to bake until the sides are beautifully dark brown.  I think the longer cooking time will help the crumb stay together better.

I’m thinking my mistakes will help you create a better cake.  Go on… bake away!

Gluten Free Lemon, Almond and Polenta Cake

from Breakfast Lunch Tea, Rose Bakery

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2 1/4 cups unsalted butter, softened plus extra for greasing pans

2 1/4 cups sugar

grated zest of four lemons

juice of 1 lemon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

6 eggs

5 1/2 cups ground almonds

2 cups polenta

1/2 cup rice or corn flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Butter eight mini bread tins and line the bottoms with parchment paper, or line 3 cupcake pans with foil cupcake liners.

Measure out the sugar and lemon zest.  With the back of a spoon or a plastic bench knife, rub the lemon zest into the sugar, creating a lemony and fragrant sugar.  Beat the butter and sugar until very light and creamy.  Add the lemon juice and the vanilla extract.  Add the eggs, one by one, beating well after each addition.

Mix together the flour, ground almonds, polenta, rice or corn flour, baking powder and salt and fold into the butter mixture.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared tins and bake for 35-40 minutes (20-25 minutes for cupcakes) or until a knife inserted in the center of one of the cakes comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and cool the cakes in their tins before taking them out.

Sift some powdered sugar over the cooled cakes for decoration.

What do you do when you’re down to your last egg?  Either cry about it or make Chocolate Pudding with Almond Whipped Cream.  In my case, I did both.

I know this is only a food blog, but I’m sure you all won’t mind if I get something off my chest.  I’m sad.  I’m puffy eyed, in my pajamas all day, looking out the window at the beautiful weekend passing me by- sad.

It’s relationship trouble.  My Mom called it “matters of the heart” which kinda put a smile on my face because she made relationship drama sound so old fashioned.  Moms are good for that.

So, while I understand that this is totally out of place for my humble food blog, I hope you won’t mind me over sharing and asking for advice.  Maybe you can help.

How do you do it?  How do you keep a relationship alive and well?  Tell me your love story because I think I need to hear it.  Is it hard?  Is it perfect?  Is it completely neurotic?

I’m here asking for dime store advice.  How do you make it work?  In return, I have pudding to offer.  It’s a lovely recipe.  Now tell me what you think about love.

And on top of all the love woes, I was down to my last egg.  I could have gone to the grocery store, of course… but some things just seem impossible when you’ve got the blues.

So here’s what to do when you’re down to your last egg, and you need some chocolate comfort in a cup.  It’s perfect.

Chocolate Pudding with Almond Whipped Cream

adapted from Gourmet Magazine

Print this recipe!

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)

2 Tablespoons cornstarch

pinch of salt

2 cups whole milk

1 large egg

4 ounces good semi sweet chocolate, finely chopped

Whisk together sugar, cocoa powder, cornstarch and salt in a 2-quart heavy saucepan, then gradually whisk in the milk.  Bring to a boil, whisking constantly, and boil, whisking, until pudding is thick, 3 to 5 minutes.  Remove from heat.

Immediately beat eggs lightly in a medium heat proof bowl, then very gradually add hot pudding to the egg, whisking constantly.  Whisk in chopped chocolate until smooth.

Pour pudding into ramekins or custard cups and cover surface each with wax paper to prevent a skin from forming.  Refrigerate, covered, until cool, at least 2 hours.

Almond Whipped Cream

3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

3 Tablespoons powdered sugar

2 drops almond extract

Put heavy cream in the bowl of an electric mixer.  Mix on medium speed for about 3 minutes.  Slowly add the powdered sugar and almond extract.  Beat cream until it stiffens and turns to whipped cream.  Dollop on chocolate pudding

]]> http://www.joythebaker.com/blog/2008/07/down-to-my-last-egg/feed/ 61 http://www.joythebaker.com/blog/2008/05/raspberry-almond-cupcakes-with-chocolate-ganache/ http://www.joythebaker.com/blog/2008/05/raspberry-almond-cupcakes-with-chocolate-ganache/#comments Mon, 19 May 2008 14:15:43 +0000 joythebaker http://www.joythebaker.com/blog/?p=87

Kids between the ages of 3 and 7 are pretty amazing.  They’re little screaming, snotting, jumping, and crashing balls of honesty.  If they don’t like you, you know it.  If they recognize you for the poopoo head that you are, they’re not afraid to tell you- to your face, in ear piercing tones.  They haven’t yet developed the ability to filter their opinion of you.  It’s simultaniously refreshing and completely unsettling.

That’s why, whenever I meet new kids, I come with cupcakes.  Not just cupcakes, but cupcakes with sprinkles.  It works every time.  It’s irresistable.  It’s my dirty little trick.  Walk into their house with cupcakes and a smile on your face, and you’ve got an instant friend.  And when they come and thank you for the cupcake with chocolate all over their face- well, there’s nothing better.

These cupcakes are dinner party perfect.  They’re light and delicate with the flavors of almond and fresh raspberry.  Great for adults and not too overpowering and strange for kids.  The chocolate ganache is not too sweet or heavy and spreads on the cupcake with a beautiful sheen.  Kids absolutely love them, but they’re sophisticated enough to enjoy with coffee long after the kiddies have gone to bed.  Thank you Courtney, Bill and cutie Macallan for a beautiful dinner.

Raspberry Almond Cupcakes

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makes 12 cupcakes

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

5 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 large egg

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

1/2 cup whole milk

1/3 cup fresh raspberries, roughly chopped

Put a rack in the middle of the oen and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line muffin cups with paper liners.

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt inside a bowl.

Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Beat in egg and almond extract.  Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture and milk alternately in 3 batches, beginning and ending with the flour mixture and beating just until incorporated.  Fold in the raspberries.

Divide the batter among lined muffin cups.  Bake until pale golden and a wooden pick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, about 20 minutes.  Turn cupcakes out onto a rack to cool completely.

Spread frosting on cupcakes once cooled.

Chocolate Ganache

3/4 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips (I used chocolate chunks)

1/4 cup heavy cream

Put chocolate chips in a small bowl.  Bring cream to a simmer in a small heavy saucepan.  Pour cream evenly over chocolate.  Let stand for one minute to soften, then stir until smooth.  If frosting is too loose to spread, let it sit at room temperature for 10 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, frosting will continue to thicken as it stands.

I’ll admit, I think olive oil is sexy.  Extra Virgin Olive Oil especially, sends me over the moon.  The rich, full and nutty smell, the beautiful translucent green color, and the way the taste coats my mouth.  It’s just gorgeous.  I’ve been known to buy a fresh baguette on the way home from work and simply eat warm bread with plates full of olive oil.  I think I’ve also put the stuff in my hair as a conditioner, and on my hands as a lotion.  But that’s sounding like a whole other blog, so let’s not get into that.

Lemon Scented Olive Oil Cookies with Almond Glaze.   Sounds like there’s a lot going on in one humble cookie, right?   It’s amazing how the flavors and sweetness meld together to create a unique, yet strangely familiar taste treat.  These essentially taste like a darling lemon sugar cookie, but with a slight (sexy) hint of olive oil.  I tested these on unsuspecting, but die hard cookie fans, and they couldn’t put their finger on the olive oil without me pointing it out.  The verdict-  two thumbs up.

Not only does olive oil smell gorgeous and taste great, it’s also good for you!  There’s a reason why the Italians are so beautiful, and I think it’s something in the olive oil.  Olive oil has less fat than butter, and has mono-saturated fats which are good for you heart.  It’s a great substitute for butter in these cookies.

I found that the batter for these cookies comes out a little wet, almost like cake batter.  I spooned the batter onto a greased and floured cookie sheet by the tablespoonful, and baked them up.  They turned out just lovely!  Try them, I’d love to hear what you think!

Lemon Scented Olive Oil Cookies with Almond Glaze

Print this recipe!

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

generous pinch of salt

1 cup sugar

zest of 1 lemon

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup good quality olive oil

3/4 cup whole milk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Zest 1 lemon and rub the zest into the granulated sugar, creating a slightly fragrant sugar.  Whisk together the dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl.  In a small bowl, beat together the eggs, vanilla extract, olive oil and milk.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir just to combine.  If the mixture is stiff (I didn’t have this problem,  I thought it might have been too wet) then add a touch more milk.

Drop by tablespoonful onto a lightly oiled cookie sheet and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned.  Cool on the cookie sheet for a few minutes, then remove and cool on a wire rack.  When cooled completely, drizzle with almond glaze.

Almond Glaze

1 1/4 cup powdered sugar

splash of pure almond extract (about 1/4 teaspoon)

2 Tablespoons of milk, more as needed to create desired thickness

Combine all ingredients and whisk until smooth.

I’m a huge breakfast fanatic.  I usually go for something hearty, healthy and full of surprise goodies.  That’s not to say that I don’t sometimes reach for a donut and some coffee, but this go around I opted for old-fashioned oatmeal with the gorgeous flavors of cranberry, orange and almond.  I threw in a bit of brown sugar for good measure, and surrounded my oatmeal with cold milk.  It was a delightful breakfast- satisfying but not too heavy.  It’s the kind of breakfast that convinces you you’re ready to take on the world.  Brilliant

Cranberry Orange Almond Oatmeal

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1 cup water

pinch of salt

1/2 cup old fashioned oats

2 Tablespoons dried cranberries

6 raw or toasted almonds

1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest

optional:

1 Tablespoon brown sugar

1/4 cup milk

Bring water and salt to a rolling boil in a small sauce pan.  Add oats and reduce to medium heat and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add 1 Tablespoon of dried cranberries into the cooking oatmeal.

After 5 minutes, remove from heat, and transfer to a serving bowl.  Sprinkle with remaining cranberries, orange zest, almonds, brown sugar and milk.  Enjoy!

Thank you Dawn!  It was so sweet of you to send me these darling cards and pens!  I’ll put them to good use!  They’re absolutely beautiful!  Thank You!!