Cherry Upside down cake

Here is another recipe from Thursday night - I did a variation on the cake from my cardamon cupcakes i have posted earlier.

Cherry upside down cake

Ingredients

12 table spoons of unsalted butter plus 4 table spoons for the top
1 cup of raw sugar plus 1/2 a cup for the top
2 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon of ground allspice
1 teaspoon dried basil
3/4 teaspoon ground cardamon
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 cup half and half
2 cups dried cherries

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Grease up an angel food cake pan. Then mix together the 1/2 cup of raw sugar, cinnamon and allspice and sprinkle it on the bottom of the pan. Next cut up the 4 table spoons of butter into small cubes and place them in the pan. Now add the cherries and set aside.
In a large bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, cardamon and basil.
In another large bowl cream together the 12 table spoons of butter and the cup of raw sugar. Once light and fluffy add the eggs and vanilla to mixture. Now alternating with the flour and the half and half: 3 to 2 - 3 parts flour to 2 parts half and half, once all combined and smooth, pour into pan. Its a thick batter so you really need to spoon it into the pan. Smooth out the top and bake for about 45 to 55 minutes or until a tooth pick comes out clean. I have had to bake it for as long as an hour, i would just check on the cake after 45 minutes.
Let cool in the pan for 20 minutes, remove the outter pan then invert over a dish and remove the center cone. Note: you may need to use a knife to loosen the sugar glaze from the pan prior to inverting.

Here are a few variations on this;
1. you also can add pecans to the top, reduce the cherries by a cup and replace with the pecans.
2. Skip the step of adding the sugar, butter and cherries to the pan. Bake the cake and then make the topping for the cake and pour it over the top. You will need to add 1/4 of water and 1/4 light corn syrup to the mix, heat slowly over medium heat, once to a nice texture pour over cake.

Enjoy Cooking

Vanilla Pound Cake Cup Cakes with Chocolate Butter Cream Icing

I received a request for this recipe. So here it is; now i have not made this since a dinner party we had several years ago and i think this is the complete recipe, my notes for this recipe are sort of on four pages and judging by my notes it took several tries until a got it right.

Vanilla Pound Cake Cup Cakes with Chocolate Butter Cream Icing

Ingredients

3 cups of unbleached all purpose flour
1 teaspoon of ground cardamon
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt
2 1/4 sticks of unsalted butter. room temp
1 1/2 cups raw sugar
2 vanilla beans, cut in half the long way, seeds removed
4 large eggs
1 table spoon fresh lemon juice
1 cup whole milk

Icing
2 sticks of unsalted butter room temp
1/2 cup powder sugar
1/2 cup Green & Blacks Cocoa powder

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Line a cup cake sheet with paper liners
In a large bowl whisk together the flour, cardamon, baking powder & soda and salt.
In a the stand mixer cream butter and and raw sugar until smooth and light. Next add the vanilla seeds into butter mixture. Now add one egg at a time: do not add the next egg until the egg before is well combined. After all the eggs have been incorporated add the lemon juice. Reduce the speed on the mixer: alternating the following, dry ingredients with the milk. Note: you want to start and end with the dry ingredients. I divided the dry into 3 parts and the milk into two. Once the last of the dry has been combined turn off mixer.
Spoon batter into the cup cake liner to about 2/3rds full. Place cup cake tins in another deep pan and fill the pan with warm water so that the cup cake tins are in about 1 inch of water. Bake for about 30 to 45 minutes or until a tooth pick comes out clean. On my notes i have several different times listed so i am not quite sure of the time.
Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack for at least an hour.

Icing

Place butter, powder sugar and cocoa powder in the stand mixer and whip until smooth and creamy. If the icing is not sweet enough for your taste add more powder sugar.

Place Cup cakes of cooled pipe on icing. Depending on how warm or cool your place is you may want to place the finished cup cakes in the fridge so that the icing does not melt. Just remove from the fridge 45 minutes before serving

Enjoy Cooking

Chocolate Almond Cup Cakes

Since I was way most of October I will try to post two recipes a day.

These are prefect Breakfast cup cakes.

Chocolate Almond Cup Cakes

Ingredients

1 cup of blanched almonds
3.5 oz bar of Green and Blacks 70% cocoa bar
2 sticks of unsalted butter
9 egg whites - keep the yolks for another recipe
1 cup on unbleached flour
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
zest of two limes
2 table spoons of raw local honey
1/2 cups of Green and Blacks cocoa powder
1/2 table spoon of salt
2 table spoons of powder sugar


Directions

OK there are allot of steps to this recipe.

Place in food processor the almonds and a table spoon from the cup of flour, grind until a fine powder,

Over medium high heat brown the butter, the butter is brown when it gives off a nutty butterscotch aroma, remove from heat and set aside.

In a double boiler melt the chocolate, like in my other recipes remove from heat just before all the chocolate as melted and stir until smooth.

In another double boiler, actually I just use mixing bowls over a pot of water. Now the water is not boiling below its just shimmering. OK in another bowl over the water place the egg white, powder sugar (2 1/2 cups), honey and lime zest and whisk until sugar is dissolved and egg whites are warm, remove from heat.

In another bowl whisk all of the dry ingredients with the exception of the 2 table spoons of powder sugar.

Next add the egg mixture bowl to the stand mixer and place on the whisk attachment: slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the egg mixture; the mixture will be come thick. Keep whisking until smooth.

OK here is the tough part and you must do this slowly or the end result will be greasy. With the mixer on low add about 1/4 of the warm brown butter to the batter, do not add the next 1/4 cup and so on until the one before it has been completely incorporated. Take your time with the butter do not rush this part. Once all the butter has been incorporated add the melted chocolate; whisk until smooth.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Spray or line cup cake tins and spoon in batter until cups are 1/2 full. Bake until the cup cakes have racked and they are springy to touch, about 15 minutes. Note: rotate cup cakes half way through the baking process.

Remove from Oven transfer to cooling rack and dust with powder sugar.

Enjoy Cooking