Cake.

Nov. 8th, 2012 09:50 pm
castalia: (Cuttlefish - Invisible)
I have had a shitty day and have therefore committed cake. However, I feel justified because:

1. Stress. Very little went right today, the wrong things including dead battery on the generator at work, traffic that delayed us getting to our event site, and annoying people once we got there.

2. The cake is made with olive oil and is probably about as healthy as you can get with cake. Or at least, this is how I'm justifying it to myself.

It's an extremely, extremely simple French Yogurt Cake, which has become my new favorite cake. It comes out with the most perfect crisp outside, fluffy moist center, and a really interesting and lovely flavor thanks to the yogurt and olive oil. I adore it. It goes well with fresh strawberries and cream or fruit sorbets (especially mango), but TBH I like it best just plain.

I've been baking a lot of cakes from scratch lately (and mostly taking them to work to get feedback on them so I can have an arsenal of desserts for the upcoming holidays), but this is definitely my favorite.

I wish I had better coping mechanisms for bad days than baked goods, but oh well. Caaaaaaaaaaaaake.

I really need a food icon...
castalia: (Corner Gas - Karen quote by bluecons)
I was bored the other night and baking happened. I don't often bake completely from scratch, but this recipe sounded so good I had to try it. My family has since been quite appreciative so I thought I'd share the recipe here as well. Because this cake turned out pretty damn good if I do say so myself.

The recipe is from Calling All Cooks three, a recipe book put together by "Telephone Pioneers of America", which is affiliated somehow with Bell South. All the recipes are donated by women in Alabama. My aunt works for the company so she gets these books for my mother, who swears every recipe she's tried out of the books has been amazing.

Chocolate-Carrot Cake
by Bernice Huie

2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup oil (may substitute 1 cup applesauce)
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup baking cocoa
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 eggs
2 cups shredded carrots
1 3-oz can coconut

Beat first 10 ingredients at low speed in mixer bowl just until blended. Beat at high speed for 2 minutes. Stir in carrots and coconut. Spoon into greased and floured 10-inch bundt pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 50 to 55 minutes.

Approx per serving: Cal 305, Protein 4g, Carbs 36g, Fiber 2g, Fat 17g, Chol 53mg, Sod 258mg.


I cut the fat in this one a bit by using applesauce instead of oil. I also added extra coconut and about a cup of chopped pecans as well. This yields a pretty dense, rich, moist cake that is absolutely wonderful with cream cheese icing. I used this recipe for the icing, but halved it. I also had to add some extra sugar b/c damn, that recipe yields some very cheesy icing; best to keep adding sugar until you're happy with the taste and texture.

The cocoa is pretty subtle, but IMO it really adds an interesting something to the carrot cake. And nothing beats homemade.

Cookies!

Oct. 11th, 2007 06:00 am
castalia: (Grumpy Bear (cookies!))
It's 1 AM and I'm making cookies. This is what happens when I get the urge for something crunchy with coconut.

My grandmother used to make something similar to this, but would never give us the recipe. So my mother looked around and found this one from the Kellogg's test kitchens:

Ranger Cookies

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup margarine or butter, softened
1/2 granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla flavoring
1 cup Kellogg's Rice Krispies cereal (can use off-brand)
1 cup quick oats, uncooked (can use old fashioned type oats instead of the quick oats)
1/2 cup coconut

In small bowl, stir together flour, soda, baking powder, and salt.

In large mixing bowl, beat margarine/butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until well combined. Add egg and vanilla and beat well. Add flour mixture, mix thoroughly. Stir in rice krispies, oats, and coconut. Drop tablespoon-sized spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheets (parchment paper on cookie sheets also works well).

Bake in oven at 350 deg. F for 12-14 minutes, until lightly browned.

Makes about 2 1/2 - 3 dozen, depending on size of cookies. Will be nice and soft when warm, crunch is more pronounced after they've cooled. Very simple, no chocolate or strong tastes, it's the chewy crunchy goodness here that matters. Yum.
castalia: (Grumpy Bear (cookies!))
Okay, so I went to bed at 6pm and napped until after midnight. Now my sleep schedule is FUBAR but oh well. I needed that.

A small request/challenge to my flist: what are your favorite recipes? I'm going down to the High Street tomorrow to do some shopping both for myself and for a girls' night/party thing tomorrow night, and I'm in the mood to make something new. Any suggestions?

I know I have some good cooks on my flist. My usual repertoire includes mostly Italian dishes and soups, traditional roast meats and vegetables, plenty of fish, a little splash of Mexican now and then, and I like creative salads. I'm not much for casseroles, Oriental food, or dishes that rely too heavily on onions and peppers, but I'm willing to give things a try if they sound good.

The main course tomorrow is Catalonian omelette, so my contribution is going to be bruschetta and possibly a dessert. If nothing else I'll do a trifle, but I'm open to ideas.

C'mon, I love to discuss food. It's the universal topic and one of the best ways to share culture. So enlighten me about your favorites! I'll share some of mine in return.

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Castalia

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