Pecan Upside Down Cakes

 Pecan Upside Down Cakes

2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup honey
1 ½ cups coarsely chopped pecans
1 tsp. finely shredded orange peel
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3 eggs
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
8 ounces sour cream
2 tsp. vanilla
Orange peel curls (optional)

1.    Preheat oven to 350. Lightly coat 12 jumbo muffin cups with nonstick spray for baking; set aside.

2.    In a medium saucepan, combine brown sugar, butter, and honey. Cook and stir over medium heat or until smooth. Remove from heat. Stir in pecans and shredded orange peel; set aside.

3.    In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

4.    For batter, in a large bowl, combine eggs and sugar. Beat with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for about 3 minutes or until the mixture is thick and lemon colored. Add oil, sour cream, and vanilla; beat until combined. Gradually add flour mixture, beating on low speed until smooth.

5.    Place 2 tbsp. of the pecan mixture in the bottom of each muffin cup. Spoon a heaping 1/3 cup of the batter into each cup. Place muffin pans on a foil-lined baking sheet.

6.    Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in muffin pans on wire racks for 5 minutes. Using a sharp knife or narrow metal spatula, loosen edges of cakes from sides of muffin cups. Invert cakes on to wire racks lined with wax paper. Spoon any pecan mixture remaining in the muffin cups on to cakes. If desired, garnish with orange peel. Serve warm or cool.

BB: Lemon Cake

This month, I got to pick the Barefoot Bloggers "bonus" recipe. It didn't take long to decide on lemon cake - spring is the perfect time for lemon . . . and it was also a co-worker's birthday, so it was a great opportunity for me to bake a cake.

To be honest, I liked this cake - but it wasn't the best cake I've ever baked. I think it was a little too tart (there I go again, criticizing something for having too much lemon - and I'm normally a lemon fan). I'm not opposed to making this cake again - next time, I'll cut down the amount of lemon zest in the batter.

Ingredients
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar, divided
4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1/3 cup grated lemon zest (6 to 8 large lemons)
3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, divided
3/4 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the glaze:
2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
3 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 2 (8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch) loaf pans. You may also line the bottom with parchment paper, if desired.

Cream the butter and 2 cups granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, and the lemon zest.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. In another bowl, combine 1/4 cup lemon juice, the buttermilk, and vanilla. Add the flour and buttermilk mixtures alternately to the batter, beginning and ending with the flour. Divide the batter evenly between the pans, smooth the tops, and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a cake tester comes out clean.

Combine 1/2 cup granulated sugar with 1/2 cup lemon juice in a small saucepan and cook over low heat until the sugar dissolves. When the cakes are done, allow to cool for 10 minutes. Remove the cakes from the pans and set them on a rack set over a tray or sheet pan; spoon the lemon syrup over them. Allow the cakes to cool completely.

For the glaze, combine the confectioners' sugar and the lemon juice in a bowl, mixing with a wire whisk until smooth. Pour over the tops of the cakes and allow the glaze to drizzle down the sides. I grated a bit more lemon zest on top of the glaze.
- Recipe from The Barefoot Contessa, via Foodnetwork.com

Chocolate Chocolate Cake

My husband's birthday was this week . . . great reason to bake a cake! There are several cake recipes in my "to try" file, but I needed something that would come together quickly (we've been at a basketball tournament every night this week), so I chose this recipe, which starts with a cake mix.

I found the recipe a few weeks ago at The Sisters' Cafe and shared it with Tressa and Sierra. Sierra entered a variation of this recipe into a "strangest ingredient" contest - she substituted grated spam for the oil (and used a strawberry cake mix, cheesecake pudding mix, and omitted the chocolate). She won the contest - and guess what? The cake was actually really good! Of course, I baked my cake without spam, but I'm still surprised at how good Sierra's spam cake tasted!

Chocolate Bundt Cake

1 devils food cake mix
1 pkg. instant pudding mix (the recipe calls for chocolate; I used vanilla)
4 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
½ cup warm water
½ cup oil (I used canola)
Optional: 1 ½ cups semi sweet chocolate chips

Place all ingredients except chocolate chips in a large mixing bowl. Blend with electric mixer 1 minute. Stir down sides. Continue to mix on medium speed for 2-3 minutes. Stir in chocolate chips (if using). Pour batter into prepared bundt pan. Bake 45-50 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool 20 minutes. Invert onto serving platter.

frosting
1 stick (8 tbsp.) unsalted butter (not margarine!)
4 tbsp. cocoa powder
1/3 cup milk
3 to 4 cups sifted powdered sugar

Melt butter in medium saucepan over low heat. Whisk in cocoa and milk. Bring mixture just to boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Beat in powdered sugar with electric mixer until thickened and smooth. Pour warm frosting over warm cake. Allow frosting to cool before serving or covering for storage.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing

Last spring, on a morning television show (Today Show or Good Morning America), I caught a glimpse of what they were calling "the best chocolate cake EVER," but didn't hear the source of the recipe. After a quick Google search, I found it on the Epicurious website. I printed it, filed it and forgot about it . . . until recently, when I needed a chocolate cupcake recipe!

I'm sure the original recipe does make a fabulous cake, because the cupcakes were awesome! My only minor complaint is this: they were a bit too light and fluffy for cupcakes (translation: eat with a fork, not with your hands). However, this cake recipe does live up to the hype, so give it a try!

Chocolate cake (or cupcakes)

3 ounces fine-quality semisweet chocolate
1 1/2 cups hot brewed coffee
3 cups sugar
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
3 large eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups well-shaken buttermilk
3/4 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 300°F. and grease pans. Line bottoms with rounds of wax paper and grease paper (or line muffin pans with paper liners).

Finely chop chocolate and in a bowl combine with hot coffee. Let mixture stand, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.

Into a large bowl sift together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another large bowl with an electric mixer beat eggs until thickened slightly and lemon colored (about 3 minutes with a standing mixer or 5 minutes with a hand-held mixer). Slowly add oil, buttermilk, vanilla, and melted chocolate mixture to eggs, beating until combined well. Add sugar mixture and beat on medium speed until just combined well. Divide batter between pans and bake in middle of oven until a tester inserted in center comes out clean, 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes - or - divide batter between muffin cups and bake until tester comes out clean (begin testing at 25 minutes).

Cool layers (or cupcakes) completely in pans on racks. Run a thin knife around edges of pans and invert layers onto racks. Carefully remove wax paper and cool layers completely. Cake layers may be made 1 day ahead and kept, wrapped well in plastic wrap, at room temperature (I froze the cupcakes for 2 weeks). - from Epicurious.com (see the original recipe here)

Cream Cheese Icing

1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
1 (8 oz pkg) cream cheese, room temperature
3-3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1. With an electric mixer, mix the butter and cream cheese together, about 3 minutes on medium speed until very smooth. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure even mixing.

2. Add the vanilla extract and mix. Slowly add the powdered sugar. Keep adding until you reach the consistency and sweetness you desire.

3. Spread or pipe on to cupcakes.

- Adapted from Simply Recipes

Orange Cake with Cranberry Filling

I found this recipe last winter in Paula Deen's Christmas magazine. It is a perfect holiday dessert - the cranberry filling, sweet orange icing, and light, airy cake are a great combination. I made this to take to our Advent by Candlelight at church last Sunday night. My neighbor Carolyn asked me to co-host a table with her and offered me the choice of putting together the table setting or making the dessert. I am so glad I chose the dessert because her table setting was absolutely beautiful - I wish I had taken a picture of it. The cake recipe follows (it is a little more time consuming than . . . using a cake mix . . . but it's well worth the effort!):

Orange Cake with Cranberry Filling

1 cup butter

2 cups sugar

1 tsp orange extract

1 tsp orange zest

3 cups cake flour

3 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup whole buttermilk

5 egg whites, beaten until stiff

Orange Cranberry Filling (see below)

Orange Cream Cheese Frosting (see below)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 3 (9-inch) cake pans.In a large bowl, beat at medium speed with electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until fluffy. Beat in orange extract and orange zest.

In a small bowl, combine cake flour, baking powder, and salt, sift twice. Add flour mixture to butter mixture. Gently fold in beaten egg whites.

Pour batter evenly into prepared pans, and bake 20-23 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pans 10 minutes. Remove cakes from pans and cool completely on wire racks.

Spread 1/3 of cranberry filling between each cake layer. Spread Orange Cream Cheese Frosting on side and top of cake. Pipe remaining frosting around top of cake, if desired. Spread remaining cranberry filling over top of cake. Store in refrigerator.

Orange-Cranberry Filling

1 (16 oz) can whole-berry cranberry sauce

2 tbsp orange-flavored liqueur*

1 tbsp sugar

In a small saucepan, combine cranberry sauce, orange-flavored liqueur, and sugar. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly, 12 minutes or until thickened.

Orange Cream Cheese Frosting (make about 4 cups)

1 (8 oz) package of cream cheese softened

1/2 cup butter, softened

2 tbsp orange-flavored liqueur*

1 tbsp orange zest

6 cups confectioners' sugar

* Freshly squeezed orange juice can be substituted for if you do not have or do not wish to use orange liqueur.

Candied orange peel recipe coming soon!

Celebrate with Champagne Cupcakes

We had a family celebration on Sunday, and I had been looking for a reason to try champagne cake. I first had champagne cake at a convention I planned and thought it was the most delicious cake I'd ever tried. Maybe it just seemed so great because I tasted it after dinner - which also happened to be the first time I sat down the entire day. Either way, I've been looking forward to making my own version ever since. When I saw this recipe on The Beantown Baker, I saved it for our Sunday celebration. These cupcakes aren't exactly how I remember the cake, but they are easy to make and very good.

Champagne Cupcakes

2/3 cup butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3 tsp baking powder1 tsp salt

3/4 cup champagne

6 large egg whites, at room temperature

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Insert liners into a medium cupcake pan.
2. In a large bowl cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes.
3. In a separate medium bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
4. Blend the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture alternately with champagne.
5. In a large clean bowl, beat the egg whites on high speed until stiff peaks form. Fold one-third of the egg whites into the batter until blended, then fold in the remaining egg whites until well blended.
6. Fill the cupcakes liners 3/4 full. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean. Cool in pan.
7. Once completely cooled, brush 1 Tbsp of champagne onto the tops of the cupcakes.
   

Champagne Frosting

3/4 cup vegetable shortening

12 Tbsp (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

3 Tbsp champagne

4 1/2 cups confectioners sugar

In a large bowl beat the shortening and butter until combined. Add the champagne. Slowly add the confectioners sugar and beat until smooth.
- Recipe from The Beantown Baker, originally from Crazy about Cupcakes

Tuxedo Cake

Mmm . . . this is an awesome cake! It is from The Pastry Queen (Rebecca Rather in Fredericksburg, Texas). We visited her bakery-cafe when our friends Matthew and Gretchen got married. I thought this Tuxedo Cake would be a perfect treat for our third anniversary - and it was! Ken loved it (and so did I)!

Although it does require a little advance planning (mostly to cool before and between frosting), it is really pretty simple to make. And the results are definitely worth all the work and dirty dishes.

Tuxedo Cake
Cake
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 cups water
1 cup canola oil
4 cups sugar
1 cup [high quality] unsweetened cocoa powder
4 cups flour
4 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 tbsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. vanilla

Whipped Cream Frosting
4 cups heavy whipping cream, well chilled
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar

Chocolate Glaze
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup Lyle's Golden Syrup
2 tsp. vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom of three 9-inch or two 10-inch cake pans with parchment paper, grease with butter and dust with flour (or spray with Baker's Joy).
2. Combine butter, water, and canola oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, stir together sugar, cocoa, and flour. When butter has melted, pour the butter mixture over the sugar mixture; whisk until smooth. Whisk in eggs, one at a time, then whisk in buttermilk. Whisk in baking soda, salt, and vanilla all at once. Transfer batter to prepared pans.
3. Stagger cake pans in the oven so that no layer is directly over another.
Bake 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Layers may be done at different times; monitor carefully.
4. Remove cakes from oven, cool about 15 minutes before inverting on to baking racks. Cool the cakes completely, at least 2 hours, before frosting (I cooled the cakes overnight in the refrigerator, in the cake pans).
5. For frosting: Using a mixer with the whisk attachment, whip cream on high speed until soft peaks form. Add powdered sugar and whip until thoroughly combined. On a platter, frost first layer of cake, add and frost second layer (repeat with third, if applicable), then frost sides. Refrigerate at least 1 hour to allow whipped cream frosting to stabilize.
6. For glaze: Place chocolate in a medium bowl. Heat cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until it is very hot and just beginning to steam. Pour hot cream over the chocolate; stir until chocolate has completely melted. Stir in syrup and vanilla. Allow glaze to cool for 10 minutes (not longer, as it will become too stiff to pour). Slowly pour glaze over cake, making sure to cover top of cake completely.
7. Refrigerate the cake until the glaze is set and the whipped cream frosting is firm, at least 1 hour. Slice cake with a long knife, dipping in hot water between each slice. Cake will keep 2-3 days in refrigerator.
- Recipe from The Pastry Queen

Notes: This recipe made enough for 3 layers of cake (I froze the third) and 12 cupcakes. I also had WAY too much whipped cream frosting (but I only frosted 2 layers and 4 cupcakes).

"Tell me what you eat . . .

. . . and I'll tell you who you are." ~Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

If the saying holds true, you should know me pretty well (after the past 99 posts). But just in case you have some doubts about that theory, I have a few things to share with you:

1. I hate fish and seafood. HATE it. Even shrimp. Even lobster. Even lobster dipped in warm butter. I know, it's weird . . . but it's true.

Tonight, in honor of the 100th post on Kenzie's Kitchen, and because I want to stop hating fish, I tried salmon.

2. I talk to my parents a lot. In fact, I called my mom to tell her I was eating salmon tonight. I should have asked her to sit down first . . . I swear I could hear her jaw drop all the way through our cell phone connection.

3. I'm afraid of using the broiler. Approximately 9 of the 10 things I have tried to broil have burned to a crisp. I thought by broiling fish, maybe I could overcome two fears at once.

4. I love my dog. Love her so much that she's also going to have salmon for dinner. Well, at least that's what I'm telling her about why she gets salmon for dinner. (Shh . . . don't tell her it is really because, although I tried, I didn't like the salmon)

So there you have it: after selecting the best piece of wild caught salmon I could find and a recipe that actually sounded like it would be appetizing, I tried salmon and confirmed what I knew all along: I don't like it! However, if you do like salmon (and you should - it is good for you), you might like this recipe:
















Miso-Glazed Salmon

Ingredients

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons hot water
2 tablespoons miso (soybean paste)
4 (6 ounce) salmon filets (about 1 inch thick)
olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh chives, chopped

Instructions

Preheat broiler.

Combine first 4 ingredients, stirring with a whisk.

Arrange fish in a shallow baking dish coated with olive oil. Spoon miso mixture evenly over fish.

Broil 10 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork, basting twice with miso mixture. Sprinkle with chives. - Adapted from RecipeZaar

5. I love to bake, which is really no secret at all. I like to try new recipes, but I also like old/simple recipes, too. And I really like giving old recipes a new twist; here is one of my new favorites:














Pan Toasted Rum Cake
In a skillet over medium-low heat, melt 1-2 tbsp. butter. Add slices of rum cake. Turn after 3-4 minutes (or when cake begins to turn brown and crisp). Toast opposite side 3-4 minutes. Serve with fresh whipped cream. I added almonds, both in the cake and over the whipped cream.

So, since you know what I'm eating and therefore who I am, I would love it if you would leave a comment and let me know who you are . . . or at the very least, let me know what you're eating and I'll try to guess!

tiger cake: a shout out to my alma mater

The University of Missouri's College of Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources (CAFNR) has a new alumni page on their website. This is relevant to Kenzie's Kitchen for two reasons - first, because I'm a CAFNR grad . . and well, I'm the author of this blog; and second, because the new page has links to alumni blogs, including mine! How cool is that? Of course, a tiger cake is only appropriate to celebrate the new alumni page.

Tiger Cake
From Alice Medrich's Bittersweet

Ingredients:
1/2 cup natural cocoa powder (not Dutch-process)
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar
1 cup flavorful extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon finely ground white pepper
5 cold large eggs
1 cup cold milk


Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10 to 12-cup Bundt pan (or used two 6-cup loaf pans, lined with parchment).

In a small bowl, whisk the cocoa, sugar, and water together until well blended. Set aside.

Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt thoroughly and sift together onto a piece of wax paper. Set aside.

In a large bowl (with the whisk attachment if you have it), beat the sugar, oil, vanilla, and pepper until well blended. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Continue to beat until the mixture is thick and pale, 3 to 5 minutes. Stop the mixer and add one-third of the flour mixture. Beat on low speed just until blended. Stop the mixer and add half of the milk. Beat just until it is blended. Repeat with another third of the flour, the remaining milk, and then the remaining flour.

Pour 3 cups of the batter into another bowl and stir in the cocoa mixture. Pour one-third of the plain batter into the prepared tube pan (or divide it between the loaves) and top with one-third of the chocolate batter. Repeat with the remaining batters. Don't worry about marbling the batters-that happens beautifully during the baking.

Bake until a cake tester comes out clean, about 1 hour and 10 minutes for either the tube pan or loaf pans. Cool the cake in the pan(s) on a rack for about 15 minutes. Slide a skewer around the tube pan or slide a thin knife around the sides of the loaf pans to release the cake(s). Invert the pan(s) and invert again, setting the cake right side up on a rack to cool completely.

Chocolate Note: Natural cocoa powder is a must here. Dutch-process adds an unpleasant taste because it reacts with the leavening and the olive oil in the cake.
(Recipe from Bittersweet by Alice Medrich)

Fun facts:
1. Did you know that alma mater is Latin for "nourishing mother?" Hmm . . . Mizzou as a nourishing mother???

2. In modern language, alma mater is a term of academia, used in place of the college or university one graduates from. It is from the motto "Alma Mater Studiorum," from the oldest continually-operating, degree-granting university in Europe - the University of Bologna, in Italy. (How did we survive without Wikipedia?)

3. Dutch-process cocoa is alkalized, creating a milder flavor, but also destroying the flavonols (good-for-you antioxidants) in the process. Dutch-process cocoa is good for hot chocolate, but natural cocoa powder is typically better for baking because it retains more chocolate flavor and does not react with other ingredients.

4. I worked for the Mizzou Athletic Department while I was in college . . in the skyboxes at Faurot Field. This is where I learned to "plate" desserts using chocolate, caramel, and raspberry syrup . . . a skill I haven't used since. Bonus fun fact: Mr. Meat and Potatoes played football at Mizzou until he tore a ligament in his knee - ouch!

Go Tigers!

Black Russian Cake

I had a request for this recipe today from someone whose husband was having a bad day. I've made this cake for them before, to commemorate good days. That's the thing about this cake, it's equally appropriate for times of sorrow or times of celebration. With a yellow cake mix as a base, it's also easy to prepare.

Black Russian Cake
1 box yellow cake mix
1/2 cup sugar
1 c. oil
4 eggs
1/4 c. vodka
1/4 c. Kahlua
3/4 c. water
1 (3-oz.) pkg. instant Jello chocolate pudding

Glaze: 1/2 c. powdered sugar and 1/4 c. Kahlua

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients together on low speed for 1 minute, then beat at medium speed for 4 minutes. Pour batter into Bundt pan and bake at 350 for 60-70 minutes. Cool cake in pan for 10 minutes. Turn onto plate; poke holes in the top of cake. Mix together ingredients for glaze (above); spoon over top of cake.

If you can't wait to celebrate (or drown your sorrows) until the cake gets out of the oven, mix together a Black Russian drink with a vodka to Kahlua ratio of 2:1 and pour over ice.