APPLE CAKE SMACKDOWN!

Beranbaum’s Apple Cake with Crumble Topping.

What are the elements of a good apple cake? Simplicity? Apple-ness?  Do you prefer a crumbly topping? Nuts? Chunky apples? More apple or more cake?



I love apples in my desserts.

I love apple cake but have been searching high and low for a decent recipe that appeals to all the members of my family.  I have a 4 and a 7 year old with discriminating taste buds and an aversion to nuts.  My 4 year old is allergic to nuts and my 7 year old, though she hasn’t been tested yet, may be but she simply doesn’t like the idea of eating nuts.   So I have adapted one of the recipes to exclude them.

IN THE FIRST CORNER WE HAVE DORIE GREENSPAN’S APPLE CAKE MARIE-HELENE…

A one-bowl batter and a simple list of ingredients makes this recipe enticing.

You must use a thin spatula to carefully loosen the sides so that you don’t have  the chunky apples stuck to the pan.  I like using a thin plastic spatula to save my nonstick finish.

The cake had a distinct rum flavour that my 4 year old didn’t like.  My 7 year old loved this cake and its chunky apples.  I loved the crunchy golden brown parts of the cake and the recipe is so simple to put together and bake.  I may have to add more vanilla and omit the rum next time to see how my 4 year old likes it next time.  The beauty of this cake is that you should use a variety of apples and it is not fussy at all.

When I was pouring the batter into the springform pan, I was thinking to myself that there was barely enough cake batter to coat the apples.  However, I knew that it would puff up nicely and it did.  Apple and cake were in perfect proportion.  I liked the crunchy exterior of the cake but wasn't crazy about the crumb inside.  Loved the apple chunks...and there were plenty of them!

AND IN THE OTHER CORNER WE HAVE:  ROSE LEVY BERANBAUM’S APPLE CRUMBLE CAKE!

The crowd roars…the crumble topping and the thinly sliced Granny Smith apple sandwiched in the batter proffers up a meltingly tender center and elegant cross-section.

Also baked in a springform pan, Beranbaum’s Apple Cake requires cake strips to ensure the sides do not overbake.  I found the strips worked.  I had to resoak them when I brought the cake out to add the crumble topping though.  The bottom of the cake was a tad more brown than I would have liked, but the cake in the centre was not overbaked.

This Apple Cake is made with sour cream and I loved it warm out of the oven.  It would have been superb with a scoop of Vanilla Bean Ice Cream served with it.

My 4 year old did not like the crumble topping and ripped it all off and ate just the centre of the cake.  She wasn’t fond of the brown bottom either.  I’ll have to figure out how to insulate the bottom next time…perhaps a sheet pan underneath?  Instructions indicate baking in lower third of oven.  I wonder if it wouldn't do better near the centre of the oven.

I actually liked the crumble topping and my 7 year old didn’t mind it.  She liked both cakes but said they were different.  Yes.  They are both good and they appeal to different tastes.  I’d say this Beranbaum one is more finicky for sure with the multiple steps and the crumble topping, but it does have more wow factor and is more delicate. 

I would have to say that the Beranbaum one has the slight edge because of the texture of the cake.  It’s way tender because of the special mixing technique and holds promise for some adaptations.  I may have to try it without the crumble just to see if Bib will like it better.  The Greenspan cake sure is a winner for efficiency and minimal effort involved though.  If I had a huge basket of apples, I’d surely make the Greenspan one.  It rocks for utilization of a massive number of apples.  The Beranbaum one only contains one Granny Smith.  I thought that kind of strange but I guess if you were down to one apple in the pantry, you could get away with making a very lovely apple cake.

SMACKDOWN RESULTS IMHO: 

• Greenspan’s Apple Cake Recipe:   5/6
• Beranbaum’s Apple Cake Recipe:  5.5/6

I do have a few more apple cake recipes to try out so stay tuned…
Here are the recipes I used.  I adapted the Beranbaum recipe by omitting nuts for my allergenic family, but I followed everything else exactly.

MARIE-HELENE’S APPLE CAKE
from Around My French Table by Dorie Greenspan

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 4 large apples (if you can, choose 4 different kinds)
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons dark rum
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Generously butter an 8-inch springform pan.  Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper and put the springform on it.
2. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together in a small bowl.
3. Peel the apples, cut them in half, and remove the cores.  Cut the apples into 1 to 2 inch chunks.
4. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk until they’re foamy.  Pour in the sugar and whisk for a minute or so to blend.  Whisk in the rum and vanilla.  Whisk in half the flour and, when it is incorporated, add half the  melted butter, followed by the rest of the flour and the remaining butter, mixing gently after each addition so that you have a smooth, rather thick batter.  Switch to a rubber spatula and fold in teh apples, turning the fruit so that it’s coated with batter.  Scrape the mix into the pan and poke it around a little with the spatula so that it’s evenish.
5. Slide the pan into the oven and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until the top of the cake is golden brown and a knife inserted deep into the center comes out clean; the cake may pull away from the sides of the pan.  Transfer to a cooling rack and let rest for 5 minutes.
6. Carefully run a blunt knife around the edges of the cake and remove the sides of the springform pan.  (Open the springform slowly, and before it’s fully opened, make sure there aren’t any apples stuck to it.)  Allow the cake to cool until it is just slightly warm or at room temperature.  If you want to remove the cake from the bottom of the springform pan, wait until the cake is almost cooled, then run a long spatula between the cake and the pan, cover the top of the cake with a piece of parchment or wax paper, and invert it onto a rack.  Carefully remove the bottom of the pan and turn the cake over onto a serving dish.

APPLE-CINNAMON CRUMB COFFEE CAKE
from Rose’s Heavenly Cakes by Rose Levy Beranbaum
Cinnamon Crumb Topping

• 1 cup/3.5 oz/100 grams   Walnut halves    
• 1/3 cup, firmly packed/2.5 oz/72 grams   Light brown sugar, pref Muscovado
• 2 tablespoons/1 oz/25 grams   Granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoon   Cinnamon
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon/ 2.2 oz/65 grams  Bleached all-purpose flour                                                                  
• 4 tablespoons/2 oz/57 grams  Unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 teaspoon   Pure Vanilla Extract

Batter

• 1 small tart apple such as Rhode Island Greening or Granny Smith
• 2 teaspoons    Lemon juice, freshly squeezed
• 2 large eggs
• 2/3 cup, divided/5.6 oz/160 grams   Sour Cream
• 1 1/2 teaspoons  Vanilla
• 1 3/4 cup/7 oz/200 grams   Bleached all-purpose flour
• 1 cup/7 oz/200 grams    Superfine sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon    Baking Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon     Baking Soda
• 1/4 teaspoon    Salt
• 12 tablespoons/6 oz/170 grams   Unsalted butter (65 degrees to 75 degrees F/19 degrees to 23 degrees C)

Special Equipment:  one 9 x 2 1/2 to 3 inch springform pan, encircled with a cake strip, bottom coated with shortening, topped with parchment round, then coated with baking spray with flour.

Preheat the oven.  Twenty minutes or more before baking, set an oven rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F/175 degrees C.

Prepare the Apple slices:  Just before mixing the batter, peel, core, and slice the apple 1/4 inch thick.  Sprinkle with lemon juice and set aside.

Mix the Liquid Ingredients:  In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, 3 tablespoons of the sour cream, and the vanilla just until lightly combined.

Make the batter:  In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the flat beater, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt on low speed for 30 seconds.  Add the butter and the remaining sour cream and mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened.  Raise the speed to medium and beat for 1 1/2 minutes.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Starting on medium-low speed, gradually add the egg mixture in two parts, beating for 30 seconds after each addition to incorporate the ingredients and strengthen the structure.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Using a silicone spatula, scrape about two-thirds of the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface evenly with a small offset spatula.  Using your fingers, sprinkle lightly with the reserved 1/2 cup crumb topping (do not press into the batter) and top with two rows of overlapping apple slices.  Drop the remaining batter in large blobs over the apples and spread it evenly.

Bake the cake:  for 35 minutes.

Meanwhile, use your fingertips to pinch together the refrigerated crumb topping, breaking up the larger pieces so that about one-third of the mixture is formed into 1/4 inch balls or clumps and the rest is in small particles.  Let them fall onto a large piece of parchment and add the rest of the lightly pinched crumbs. 

Remove the pan from the oven and gently place on a wire rack.  Using the parchment as a funnel, quickly and evenly strew the surface with the crumb topping.  Return the pan to the oven and continue baking for 20 to 30  minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the cake springs back when pressed lightly in the center.  The crumb topping could make it a little difficult to test for doneness, so using an instant read thermometer offer added insurance.  An instant-read thermometer will register about 208 degrees F/98 degrees/C.

Cool and unmold the cake:  Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.  Loosen the sides of the cake with a small metal spatula and remove the sides of the springform.  Cool completely, about 1 1/2 hours.  If desired, transfer the cake to a serving plate.

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CHOCOLATE TWEED ANGEL FOOD CAKE

I don’t generally like angel food cake.  Often, I find it tooth-achingly sweet and the angel food cakes I’ve had in the past are often cottony and dry in texture.  Instead, I am a huge fan of chiffon cakes and have many favourite recipes I repeatedly make when I want to make a cake that doesn’t require frosting and can be eaten out of hand to satisfy my cake-tooth.

So why am I making an angel food cake if I profess to not even like them?  What is so appealing to me about angel food is its lack of added fat and the seemingly saintly virtue of having less of all the bad things like refined sugar and white cake flour (look ma, fewer calories and saturated fat!)  There is no leavening agent either.   Wouldn’t it be great if an angel food cake were so virtuous and tasted good too? and was not dry but moist? and not cottony?  or overly sweet? 

Today I am embarking on an angel food cake recipe quest.  Just like my chiffon quest, my macaron quest, my chocolate cupcake quest and my epic journey with the Wilton Castle Cake (aka Ariel’s Underwater Castle), I’ll be following recipe instructions to the letter and researching my subject matter to ensure proper technique and ingredients are employed to yield best results.  I’ll be testing a bunch of recipes from my vast collection of cookbooks and my favourite food blogs in order to find a foolproof recipe that yields angel food characteristics that I deem important:

• a  tender crumb; not a cottony texture
• not overly sweet
• flavourful and tasty!

First, I am going to give Rose Levy Beranbaum’s Rose’s Heavenly Cakes another try with her gorgeous-looking “Chocolate Tweed Angel Food Cake”.  The picture in her cookbook  is enticing with its “Chocolate-Spangled Whipped Cream” frosting and dark chocolate garnish of Valrhona Les Perles  studded all over the frosting.  What I find particularly attractive about this cake is its name!    I like a recipe to have a creative name indicative of its qualities.  The texture seemed moist but mind you, if it’s layered and frosted with Whipped Cream frosting of course it should be moist.  I would like to eat this angel food cake sans frosting just to be purist and test whether it is capable of being eaten out of hand on its own.  I don’t expect it to be as moist and tender as chiffon, but I would like to see it come pretty close!  wishful thinking?

All went well as I followed the recipe exactly and weighed all my ingredients.  When I do a recipe quest, I never stray from the exact instructions.  I do not adapt.  I do not substitute.  This way I can have a better idea of whether or not the original recipe works well or not.  If it does, on subsequent testing, then I go about adapting flavours and stuff.  The instructions were easy to follow and I appreciate how angel food cake doesn’t require a whole whack of ingredients. 

Even the baking time was brief compared to baking a chiffon.  It was almost half the time in the oven compared to a chiffon.  I brought the cake out of the oven when it was golden brown and had the deep cracks that were indicated in the instructions.  I immediately turned it upside down and allowed it to cool for about 2 hours before even attempting to try to remove it from the pan.
Hit the link for the verdict and scroll to bottom to see the recipe.

 
The verdict:    8.5/10 very good.

• it’s not overly sweet.  This is because of the unsweetened finely grated high quality dark chocolate I painstakingly prepared according to the instructions.  I used my microplane grater on the huge block of chocolate and refrigerated the grated chocolate until ready to incorporate into the batter.  By the way, the most fiddly part of this recipe was the grating of the chocolate.  It was indeed a pain.  It seemed to take forever to grate the chocolate finely by hand on my microplane grater.  I didn’t want to chance using the food processor and having huge chunks bash around the bowl nor did I want the processor heating up the chocolate and having a brown gooey mess to clean up. 
• the texture of the cake is not cottony.  It is one of the moistest angel food cakes I’ve had thus far.  I’d still like it to be a bit more tender if possible.
• it tastes chocolatey.  This is a good thing in my book.  It helps to have a good quality chocolate.  I used Callebaut unsweetened chocolate.  I believe the finely grated chocolate was key in helping with the cool “tweed” characteristic as well as the huge chocolate flavour.  It may have even had some hand in elevating the moistness of the crumb. 

I’ve found this recipe to be worthy of making again.  I often do this just to ensure that a recipe is foolproof/idiotproof/having-a-bad-day-and-didn’t-feel-like-following-instructions-exactly-proof.    If it can endure some tweaking and adaptations that’ll be a winning thing.   Don’t worry.  The quest doesn’t end here just because I liked it.  I’ll keep plugging away at other recipes too.  I’d like to try the Cooks Illustrated recipe next.   The quest has just begun. Beranbaum has a vanilla bean variation too which will have to be on my to-do list.

Now what I’ll like to try is finding a clean, white angel food cake recipe.  This chocolate-speckled one was neat and unique in its tweediness, but I really ought to find a white cake recipe too.

CHOCOLATE TWEED ANGEL FOOD CAKE
from Rose Levy Beranbaum’s Rose’s Heavenly Cakes
serves:  14 to 16
Batter:

• 300 grams/10.6 oz superfine sugar, divided
• 100 grams/3.5 oz Wondra flour (or cake flour)
• ¼ tsp salt
• 480 grams/17 oz/16 large egg whites, at room temperature
• 2 tsp cream of tartar
• 4 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 56 grams/2 oz fine-quality unsweetened or 99% cacao chocolate, chilled, finely grated, refrigerated

Special equipment:  one ungreased 10-inch (16 cups) two-piece metal tube pan.  Long-necked glass wine or soda bottle, or a large inverted metal funnel that will fit into the opening at the top of the pan.  (Have this ready before baking and weight it by filling it with sugar or marbles to keep it from tipping.)

Preheat the oven:  Twenty minutes or more before baking, set an oven rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C.

Prepare the sugar, flour and salt:  In a small bowl, whisk together half the sugar, the flour, and salt until evenly combined.  Sift thee remaining sugar onto a piece of wax paper.

Beat the egg whites into a stiff meringue:  In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk beater, beat the egg whites on medium speed until foamy.  With the mixer off, add the cream of tartar.  Raise the speed to medium-high and beat until soft peaks form when the beater is raised.  Gradually beat in the sifted sugar and continue beating on medium-high speed until very stiff peaks form when the beater is raised slowly.  Beat in the vanilla until combined. 

Make the batter:  Dust (lightly sprinkle) the flour mixture over the beaten whites, ¼ cup at a time (if using cake flour, sift it over the whites).  With a large balloon whisk, slotted skimmer, or large silicone spatula, fold in the flour mixture quickly but gently.  It is not necessary to incorporate every speck until the last addition.  Fold in the grated chocolate until evenly incorporated.  Using a long narrow spatula or silicone spatula,  spread a thin layer of batter onto the sides of the prepared pan to ensure smooth sides.  Empty the rest of the batter into the pan.  In a 16-cup pan, it will be ½ inch from the top of the rim.  Run a small metal spatula or knife through the batter to prevent air pockets and smooth the surface evenly.

Bake the cake:  Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until golden brown, a wire cake tester inserted between the tube and the side comes out clean, and the cake springs back when lightly pressed in the center.  (A wooden toothpick will still have a few moist crumbs clinging to it.)  During baking, the center will rise about 2 inches above the pan, but it will sink to almost level with the pan when done.  The surface will have deep cracks, like a soufflé.

Cool and unmold the cake:  Invert the pan immediately, placing the tube opening over the neck of the bottle to suspend it well above the countertop.  Cool completely in the pan, about 1½ hours.
Loosen the sides of the pan with a long narrow spatula and remove the centre core of the pan.  Dislodge the cake from the bottom and centre core with a metal spatula or thin sharp knife.  (A wire cake tester or wooden skewer works well around the core.  To keep the sides attractive, press the spatula firmly against the sides of the pan, moving the spatula up and down as you go around it.)  Invert the cake onto a flat plate covered with plastic wrap that has been coated lightly with nonstick cooking spray and reinvert it onto a serving plate.  Allow the cake to sit for 1 hour, or until the top is no longer tacky.  Then cover it with a cake dome or wrap it airtight.  It keeps for 3 days at room temperature and for 10 days refrigerated.  Freezing toughens the texture.  The cake is also lovely decorated simply with a light sprinkling of cocoa or lacy drizzles of melted chocolate.  Do not serve this cake with sauce as it would fall apart.

CHOCOLATE SPANGLED WHIPPED CREAM
makes: 5¾ cups /24 oz/680 grams

• 464 grams/16.5 oz heavy cream, cold
• 25 grams/1 oz/2 tbsp superfine sugar
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 142 grams/5 oz/1 cup dark chocolate, 60% to 62% cacao, chilled, finely grated, refrigerated
• 54 grams/2 oz/½ cup finely ground almonds (preferably lightly toasted before grinding)
• 85 grams/3oz/½ cup  Valrhona Les Perles or semisweet mini chocolate chips (optional)

Make the chocolate-spangled whipped cream:  In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the heavy cream and sugar and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes (chill the whisk beater alongside the bowl).
Whip the cream and sugar, starting on low speed, gradually raising the speed to medium-high as it thickens, just until traces of beater marks begin to show distinctly.  Add the vanilla and whip just until the cream mounds softly when dropped from a spoon.  Add the chocolate and almonds.  With a large silicone spatula, fold them into the whipped cream until evenly incorporated.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to fill and frost the cake.  The whipped cream keeps for 3 days in the refrigerator.

Compose the cake: Using a long serrated knife, divide the cake into three even layers.  Spread a little of the whipped cream on a 9-inch cardboard round or serving plate and set one layer on top.  If using the plate, slide a few wide strips of wax paper or parchment under the cake to keep the rim of the plate clean.  Spread the whipped cream about 3/8 inch thick between each layer and frost the top and sides with the remaining whipped cream.  Sprinkle the top evenly with Les Perles, if using.  To get them to stick to the sides, pelt them against the sides, and they will hold in place.  If using paper strips, slowly slide them out from under the cake.

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UNAPOLOGETIC CHOCOLATE CHUNK COOKIES

Have you ever wanted to just have a plain old chocolate chip cookie that hasn’t been mussed with or fussed with—and wanted it now? Right now?
That day came.  Today.

I wanted a chocolate chip cookie that reminded me of youth-- when I’d sit in front of Scooby Doo on the tube after school with a glass of WHOLE milk and a plate of cookies on my saucer that I’d take a bite of just so…so I could fit it into my milk glass and dunk it.  And the cookie would saturate with milk and it would yield gently in my mouth, dissolving into sweet crumbly bliss. The chocolate chips tasted of blackness and I’d chug the glass until I’d spy the sandy chunks of lost cookie bits trailing with the wave of white.   I’d tilt back to let it ride the milk into my mouth.

 
From the myriad chocolate chip cookie recipes and adaptations I’ve tried, I know the Toll House recipe I found on the back of the bag of chocolate chips would yield that taste sensation I was seeking.  However, that would be so boring.   After all,  I do have a duty to try as many of those chocolate chip cookie recipes waiting patiently on my massive bookshelf of cookbooks as I humanly can.
But what book would possibly address my immediate needs?  The Barefoot Contessa’s cookbooks have always pleased my palate when I yearned for traditional full-fat unadulterated ingredients and the recipes have always proven to work.  I mean, how can you go wrong when you see on the Food Network Ina Garten smiling her smile and unapologetically calling for “a pound of butter” in her recipes?  I must say, her life is fetching.  Who wouldn’t love to be surrounded by that gorgeous garden and have all those handsome gay hunks dropping by so frequently for dinner parties while her husband is away? 

I just love watching her show.  She has everything I covet.  I want her lovely white kitchen, her fantastic garden and her beautiful house.  I even think she has the perfect husband:  he loves everything she bakes and eats her food with relish (unlike Stomach who hates sweets and out of sheer kindness sticks out his pinky to indicate the size of the “sliver” of cake he would like to be served). 
Sigh.
Life is so unfair.
Hey, I have passion but no at home’s  up for ingesting my goodies.  People fear the bulge, as do I.  They fear the full-fat sugar-laden richness of desserts.  As do I.  My only recourse is to distribute my real-butter’n-white flour’n sugar cardiac bombs to my colleagues.  They are so generous to risk their arteries for me!
 
They say moderation is key to maintaining a healthy diet.  So, I profess that the low-fat versions of cookies will not do!   What good will it be when you polish off the whole sheet of cookies and your blasted brain still isn’t fooled?  It knows.  It hasn’t forgotten the amazing chocolate chip cookie you ate when you were 7 sitting in front of the t.v. watching Scooby Doo.  

Thus, with a cautious heart I dare you to make those full-fat cookies and give away 3/4 of them (or more if you have the will-power!) to friends and colleagues to maintain good karma and a lithe figure.   It’s the only way to go. 
The recipe below was easy to make and quick too.  There isn’t any “aging” of the dough or any weird ingredients.  There’s absolutely nothing really healthy in it either in the way of added fiber.  No oatmeal; no ground flax…and everything’s refined.  Oh well.  My eggs are always free-range because I have an organic veggie bin delivered every 2 weeks, but that’s a small consolation.  I have organic evaporated cane sugar and organic unbleached flour, but heck, that might jeopardize the memory of the 1970’s version of the cookie I was seeking.  The result?  Good.  Very Good.  Not like I remembered though.  I’m not done going through all those other chocolate chip cookie recipes. 
 
CHOCOLATE CHUNK COOKIES
from Ina Garten’s Barefoot Contessa:  Parties!
makes 36-40 cookies

• 1/2 pound unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 extra-large eggs at room temperature
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts (I omitted these as my kids have nut allergies)
• 1 1/4 pounds semisweet chocolate chunks

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degreesF.
2. Cream the butter and two sugars until light and fluffy in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Add the vanilla, then the eggs, one at a time, and mix well.  Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt and add to the butter with the mixer on low speed, mixing only until combined.  Fold in the walnuts and chocolate chunks.
3. Drop the dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, using a 1 3/4-inch diameter ice cream scoop or a rounded tablespoon.  Dampen your hands and flatten the dough slightly.  Bake for exactly 15 minutes (the cookies will seem underdone).  Remove from the oven and let cool slightly on the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

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QUICK CUPCAKE FIX

Here’s a quick post about getting a fast fix of sugary chocolatey goodness by baking a really yummy one-bowl chocolate cupcake. I used Martha Stewart’s One Bowl Chocolate Cupcake recipe from her Cupcakes book.

The verdict? Yes, it’s quick and easy and you can do it all in one bowl. I like that. In addition, you don’t have to worry about softening butter. It uses veggie oil. That helps for moistness too.

I swirled some vanilla bean Swiss Meringue Buttercream on my mini chocolate cupcakes and then decided to get fancy with a variegated pink buttercream. I just plopped pink and white buttercream blobs in my piping bag and it came out looking all swirly pink. It’s kind of neat. It looks fancy but it’s quick and easy too.

The buttercream is so smooth and delicious I don’t know if I can ever go back to a simple confectioners’ sugar & butter concoction again! It rivals my favourite Beranbaum buttercreams which use a sugar syrup method or a boiled sugar and corn syrup method. At least the Swiss Meringue method doesn’t require you to boil sugar. My only pet peeve is all those egg yolks I have left over…and yes, I do know what I can do with all those egg yolks (pastry cream, creme brulee etc.) but you know how I like things all neat and tidy!

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THE BEST CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES EVER: CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES WITH VANILLA SWISS MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM

I know it doesn’t look like I’ve been searching for the best darned chocolate cupcake recipe, but I have. I have tested Corriher’s Deep Dark Chocolate Cake recipe and the Cooks Illustrated Dark Chocolate Cupcake recipe against my favourite go-to recipe by the Barefoot Contessa, Ina Garten.

When I tested the Corriher recipe, I found the flavour okay but it certainly didn’t beat out Garten’s recipe. I found the Garten recipe superior in ease of technique and less fussy as you didn’t have to use as many eggs (nor did you have to separate and save 4 whites from the extra yolks you needed). For the extra richness the yolks added to the Corriher recipe, I didn’t find the cupcake any more flavourful. For some strange reason, I also found little pockets of unmixed flour in the baked cupcakes, which is my ultimate pet peeve. I had sifted the dry ingredients so that shouldn’t have happened. I had followed the directions carefully, so I wasn’t happy. Initially, I thought that the technique of adding the flour into the warm hot cocoa mixture was the problem, but I’m not too sure. In any case, it wasn’t a foolproof recipe and it didn’t work out for me.

So, it was with apprehension and a bit of excitement that I picked up a copy of Cooks Illustrated from the newstand and noticed they had a recipe for a Dark Chocolate Cupcake. I chose to make it for Bebe’s birthday. Yes, I know I made her chocolate butterfly cupcakes already for her birthday party, but that was her “warm-up birthday party” for her friends. I had used Corriher’s Deep Dark Chocolate recipe for those cupcakes but didn’t bother to post the recipe because I generally don’t post recipes that don’t pass muster in my kitchen. I have made Corriher’s Whipped Cream pound cake many times however, and that is my go-to recipe for pound cake.

I made these particular cupcakes for Bebe’s actual “real” birthday, July 27. Yes, she’s a big girl now…all of 6 years old. I also liked that the CI recipe only made 12 cupcakes. I really didn’t have any need for the usual batch of 24 cupcakes that a recipe yields. To make a perfect birthday weekend, we like to spend the real birthday together as a family. Bebe specifically requested chocolate cupcakes and with her permission, I was able to forgo the usual pink colour in the buttercream.

So, we went on a Stanley Park train ride in the morning, went to Maplewood Farms in North Vancouver and visited the Lynn Canyon all in one weekend for her birthday. Bebe’s favourite activity, I think, was having a picnic on the rocks along the rushing shallow water of the creek.

As you can see, people like to stack rocks and make inukshuks along the water in Lynn Creek. The icy mountain water is so refreshing in this heat wave and the shallow pools of water are perfect repositories for your feet as you sit on a rock munching on a submarine sandwich and fresh fruit. Ahhh!

This Dark Chocolate Cupcake yields a perfect top for decorating as it doesn’t have pointy domes. The cake’s crumb is strong enough not to crumble so you can inject some fillings inside for a surprise, and most importantly, it tastes really chocolatey! I think it beats out all of the recipes I’ve tried so far (and I’ve tried many) in terms of flavour. It incorporates Dutched cocoa powder and bittersweet chocolate which you melt with the butter. I appreciate that I didn’t have to cream room temperature butter because sometimes it’s a pain to remember to bring it out of the refrigerator and if I leave it out too long, the butter can get too soft. So, for my future chocolate cupcakes, this will be my favourite recipe.

I like to decorate my cupcakes with fresh organic flowers from my garden. These are Johnny Jump-Ups. They look quite similar to the sugar violets I used to decorate. I have a variegated variety that is violet, yellow, orange and various permutations thereof. It’s gorgeous!

So, here’s my take on the perfect cupcake. It’s a combination of vanilla buttercream and chocolate cupcake. I like vanilla swiss meringue buttercream swirled atop the CI Dark Chocolate Cupcake. I don’t like sprinkles, but hey, if you have kids you have to put them there, don’t you? I went halvsies with the girls and left mine sprinkle-less because I don’t like the crunch of the sprinkles distracting me from enjoying the silky smooth buttercream.
****update:  check out a Caramel version of the Buttercream here.

***P.S.  I have been receiving a few comments from people who do not think the crumb is moist enough.   I never said the crumb would be super-moist, but it is superior to every other cupcake for CHOCOLATE FLAVOUR.   For this particular application: a chocolate cupcake with a huge buttercream swirl, this crumb is strong enough to create structure that won't buckle under a heavy buttercream swirl.  This cupcake is superior for FLAVOUR AND CAKE DECORATING PURPOSES WITH BUTTERCREAM.  Not for eating frostingless. Anything with a moist cupcake crumb would not hold up to the rigors of cake decorating...the huge swirl of buttercream frosting that I tend to employ.  If you want a moister crumb, try the Garten recipe  I mentioned before near the beginning of my post.  It uses just cocoa powder, coffee and buttermilk and no real melted chocolate is used.  That being said, this recipe isn't dry either.   Everyone's expectations for a perfect cupcake is different.  This one rocks for flavour and beauty.  It is perfect for bringing to parties.  Veggie oil based batters will always give you a moister crumb, so look for recipes incorporating oil if you like a moist cupcake.

DARK CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES
(from Cooks Illustrated, “American Classics 2009”)
(makes 12 cupcakes; do not double recipe…make two separate batches if you need more)
**Cakebrain's note:  IF YOU LIKE REALLY MOIST/WET CUPCAKES, THESE ARE NOT FOR YOU.  MOVE ALONG TO THE QUINOA CHOCOLATE CUPCAKE RECIPE.  These cupcakes are perfect for cake decorating purposes, which requires a crumb with structural integrity and that will hold up to buttercream and other decorations.   To ensure a moister cupcake with this recipe, ensure you WEIGH YOUR INGREDIENTS CAREFULLY.  Do not dip and scoop/pack your dry ingredients.

• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
• 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 1/2 cup (1 1/2 oz) Dutch-processed cocoa
• 3/4 cup (3 3/4 oz) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup (5 1/4 oz) sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 1/2 cup (4 oz) sour cream

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position; heat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard-sized muffin pan (1/2 cup capacity) with baking-cup liners.
2. Combine butter, chocolate and cocoa in medium heatproof bowl. Set bowl over saucepan containing barely simmering water; heat mixture until butter and chocolate are melted and whisk until smooth and fully combined. Set aside to cool until just warm to touch.
3. Whisk flour, baking soda and baking powder in small bowl to combine
4. Whisk eggs in second medium bowl to combine; add sugar, vanilla and salt and whisk until fully incorporated. Add cooled chocolate mixture and whisk until combined. Sift about one-third of flour mixture over chocolate mixture and whisk until combined; whisk in sour cream until combined; then sift in remaining flour mixture and whisk batter until it is homogenous and thick.
5. Divide batter evenly among muffin pan cups. Bake until skewer inserted into center of cupcakes comes out clean, 18-20 minutes.
6. Cool cupcakes in muffin pan on wire rack until cool enough to handle, about 15 minutes. Carefully lift each cupcake from muffin pan and set on wire rack. Cool to room temperature before icing, about 30 minutes.

I highly recommend that instead of the suggested Easy Vanilla Buttercream that incorporates butter and confectioners’ sugar, that you frost the chocolate cupcakes with a Swiss Meringue Buttercream. The Swiss Meringue Buttercream is smooth, silky and not overly sweet. It pairs beautifully with the dark chocolate. The best part of this particular buttercream is that it isn’t grainy, pipes beautifully, and holds up well even in warm weather.
SWISS MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM
(from Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes; makes about 5 cups)

• 5 large egg whites
• 1 cup plus 2 T sugar
• pinch of salt
• 1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons, room temperature
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1. Combine egg whites, sugar and salt in the heatproof bowl of a standing mixer set over a pan of simmering water. Whisk constantly by hand until mixture is warm to the touch and sugar has dissolved (the mixture should feel completely smooth when rubbed between your fingertips).
2. Attach the bowl to the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Starting on low and gradually increasing to medium-high speed, whisk until stiff (but not dry) peaks form. Continue mixing until the mixture is fluffy and glossy, and completely cool (test by touching the bottom of the bowl), about 10 minutes.
3. With mixer on medium-low speed, add the butter a few tablespoons at a time, mixing well after each addition. Once all butter has been added, whisk in vanilla. Switch to the paddle attachment, and continue beating on low speed until all air bubbles are eliminated, about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl with a flexible spatula, and continue beating until the frosting is completely smooth. Keep buttercream at room temperature if using the same day, or transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze up to 1 month. Before using, bring to room temperature and beat with paddle attachment on low speed until smooth again, about 5 minutes.
4. (optional) To tint buttercream, reserve some for toning down the color, if necessary. Add gel-paste food color, a drop at a time (or use the toothpick or skewer to add food color a dab at a time) to the remaining buttercream. You can use a single shade of food color or experiment by mixing two or more. Blend after each addition with the mixer (use the paddle attachment) or a flexible spatula, until desired shade is achieved. Avoid adding too much food color too son, as the hue with intensify with continued stirring; if necessary, you can tone down the shade by mixing in some reserved untinted buttercream.

More about → THE BEST CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES EVER: CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES WITH VANILLA SWISS MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM

BLUEBERRY MUFFINS

I’m trying my green thumb out by growing two blueberry bushes in my backyard. I chose two different varieties and only one this year has a handful of berries. I hope when they establish themselves in a few years I’ll be able to harvest enough for making blueberry muffins!

Corriher’s recipe for Blueberry Muffins again incorporates 1/2 cup of whipping cream beaten to the soft peak stage. The muffin was moist, but didn’t have much structure/strength to hold up well. It crumbles easily. She indicated you could beat the batter well (unlike the traditional muffin method) to increase gluten formation and increase structure. I did this, but the muffins were still very soft. That’s okay though. I had them in muffin liners and that helped.

These muffins stayed moist into the second day and I nuked one for 15 seconds to get that warm, freshly baked sensation again. It was very good. My mother really liked them and took a few back to her condo to eat for breakfast and snacks. These were really good, but I don’t think the whipping cream added any more flavour of complexity to this quickbread as it did to the previous recipe I made with the pound cake. I’ve had muffins just as good without the incorporation of this ingredient.

BLUEBERRIES AND CREAM MUFFINS

from S.O. Corriher’s BakeWise: the Hows and Whys of Successful Baking

(makes 12 medium (2 3/4 x 1 1/8 inch/7 x 2.8 cm) muffins)

• 2 cups (8.8 oz/249 g) spooned and leveled bleached all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons (9g) baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon (3g) salt
• 1 1/4 cups (12.3 oz/349 g) sugar
• 1 large egg (1.75 oz/50g)
• 1/2 cup (118 ml) canola oil
• 1/3 cup (79 ml) buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon (5ml) pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) lemon zest (grated peel)
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) orange zest (grated peel)
• 1/2 cup (118 ml) heavy cream
• 1 1/2 cups (7.4 oz/208 g) fresh blueberries
• nonstick cooking spray
• 1/4 cup (1.8 oz/52 g) coarse sugar or granulated sugar, for topping

1. Arrange a shelf in the lower third of the oven, place a baking stone on it, and preheat the oven to 425°F/218°C.
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar for a full 30 seconds
3. In a medium mixing bowl, beat the egg with a few strokes, then beat in the oil, buttermilk, vanilla and lemon and orange zests
4. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Beat together with a hand mixer or by hand. Stir or beat well. This batter is almost too tender, so do not hesitate to stir vigorously.
5. In a cold bowl with cold beaters, whip the cream until soft peaks form when the beater is lifted. Beat just a little beyond this soft peak stage. Stir about one-quarter of the whipped cream in to lighten the batter. Then, fold the rest of the whipped cream into the batter. Fold the blueberries into the batter.
6. Spray two 6-cup medium (2 3/4 x 1 1/8 inch/7 x 2.8 cm) muffin pans with nonstick cooking spray.
7. Fill muffin pans almost to the top. Sprinkle the muffins with coarse sugar. Turn the oven down to 400°F/204°C and leave the oven door open for about 10 seconds. Place pans in the oven on the stone and close the oven door. Bake until well-risen and lightly browned, about 20 minutes.
8. Cool the muffins in the pans for about 5 minutes. Jar the edges of the pans on the counter to loosen the muffins, and carefully remove them to a cooling rack.

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CHRYSANTHEMUM POUND CAKE

To heck with editing pics in Blogger. It’s a pain. I still haven’t figured out why I can’t move pics around my post by right-clicking and dragging anymore. So I’m giving this Windows Live Writer a go today to see if it’s any easier. I am also trying out Windows Live Photo today for the first to see if it’s easier than Picasa. It seems to have more features and it’s quite easy to use.

The other day, while browsing around for bundt pans at the Cookshop in City Square, I saw these cool Nordicware pans. The one I chose was the 10 cup Chrysanthemum pan.

The pattern is intricate and the pan is hefty. I like!

The “petals” in the pattern create a lot of CRUST, and as you know from my sidebar’s ongoing “Who Love the Crusties” poll, a humongous majority of people are into the crusties and covet the brown bits. So this pan’s for you.

I chose a pound cake recipe from one of 5 new cookbooks I purchased recently. I really ought to take some pics of my bookshelf. It’s bursting with way too many fantastic cookbooks. I found this winner from Bakewise, by Shirley Corriher. The book is hugely thick but I soon found out that most of the pages were filled with “The Math” and explanations of formulas. Much of the explanations are redundant (extracts are repeated throughout the book). I could do with a lot less of the repetition and instead with more stories, recipes and illustrations. Despite the redundancies, so far I’m on board with Corriher’s excellent and in-depth knowledge. What’s important to me is whether the recipe works…and can be duplicated by the home baker.

I can honestly say that this is the best pound cake recipe I’ve ever baked. The staff at work concur when I brought them some leftovers and I received rave reviews. The crust was amazing. The interior crumb was moist. It was everything a pound cake should be. And more!

On the first day, fresh from the oven, the pound cake had a nutty aroma and flavour profile. I practically inhaled a quarter of the cake on my own and had to go on the treadmill and run for 90 minutes to alleviate my guilt. On the following day, the pound cake was just as moist and the crust was still crispy and delectably crunchy and crumbly. It was fabulous.

The only problem I encountered with the recipe was that it called for a 12 cup bundt pan. None are to be found nowadays in cookware stores in Canada. The staff at the Cookshop said they stopped making those a while ago. People use 10-cup bundt pans according to them. The store only carried 10-cup bundt pans but I know I could have used my angel food cake pan. That would have been boring though. So I bought the cute chrysanthemum pan.

btw, posting through Windows Live Writer--so far-- is easier than blogger. I like it. I’m going to keep using it until I find something better. This is so user-friendly I don’t know why I didn’t do this sooner! I guess I didn’t have problems before and I tend not to fix things unless they’re broke!

The most intriguing element to Corriher’s pound cake recipe was the addition of whipping cream beaten to the soft peak stage. What it adds to the cake is moistness and a dimension of nutty butteriness. She adds this whipping cream element to some of her other cakes too and I have a feeling those recipes will be winners as well. I’m going to try one of her other recipes for Bebe’s 6th birthday cake. No, I’m not going to outdo myself like I did last year with the Ariel Castle Cake. I don’t think I can top that. I’m just going to go girlie-girl and do a simple cake with flowers. She wants chocolate of course. I’m thinking white frosting. Maybe a really tall cake…taller than it is wide!

CHEF HEATHER HURLBERT’S MAGNIFICENT MOIST WHIPPED CREAM POUND CAKE

from BakeWise: The Hows and Whys of Successful Baking, by Shirley O. Corriher

Makes one large 12-cup (2.8 L) Bundt cake, of 24 small fluted cakes

• 2 T each butter and flour to prepare the pan or pans
• 2 cups (16 oz/454 g) unsalted butter, cut in 2 T (1 oz/28g) pieces
• 2 3/4 cups (19.3oz/546g) sugar
• 1 T (15 ml) pure vanilla extract
• 6 large eggs (10.5 oz/298 g) room temperature
• 2 3/4 cups (12.1 oz/343 g) spooned and levelled bleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup (118 ml) heavy cream
• 2 cups (8 oz/227 g) fresh or frozen and thawed blueberries, optional

1. Generously butter a 12-cup (2.8L) Bundt pan or 24 fluted brioche tins. Add 2 tablespoons (0.5 oz/14 g) flour and rotate the pan to coat. Dump out any excess.
2. Arrange a shelf in the lower third of the oven, place a baking stone on it, and preheat the oven to 350degreesF/177degreesC.
3. With a mixer on medium speed, beat the butter to soften. Add the sugar and continue to beat (cream) until very light and fluffy, scraping down the sides and the bottom of the bowl at least once. While creaming, feel the bowl; if it does not feel cool, place in the freezer for 5 minutes and then continue creaming.
4. Beat in the vanilla. On the lowest speed, beat in the eggs one at a time.
5. Add the flour in several batches, and mix just until blended well.
6. Place a medium bowl with the beaters and the heavy cream in the freezer to chill for 5 minutes. Then with the cold bowl and cold beaters, whip the cream until soft peaks form when the beater is lifted. Whip just a little beyond the soft peak stage.
7. Stir about one-quarter of the whipped cream into the batter. Then gently fold the rest of the whipped cream into the batter. If using, fold in the blueberries. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
8. Place the cake in the oven on the stone and bake until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out moist but without crumbs, 50-60 minutes for the Bundt pan, about 20 minutes for small tins. Place the cake in the pan on a rack to cool for 10 minutes. Loosen the cake from the pan by jarring it against the counter. Invert the cake onto the serving platter to finish cooling.

*NB: Cakebrain’s Chrysanthemum Bundt Pound Cake was made with a 10-cup Nordicware bundt pan sprayed with Pam. I poured in enough batter to reach about 1 1/2 inches from the rim and poured the remaining batter in a small 2-cup loaf pan. I adjusted baking time for the loaf pan to 50 minutes and the bundt for 65 minutes. I didn’t use a stone in my oven. My baking times were slightly longer than called for in the recipe as the tops still jiggled slightly.

More about → CHRYSANTHEMUM POUND CAKE