Suzi's Blog

Spice Cake with Peanut Buttercream

by Brian on March 5th, 2010 in Cookbook Reviews, Dessert Digest, Recipes No Comments

If the baking community were to create a royal family, then my vote for the Queen of Cakes would be easy: Rose Levy Beranbaum. After all, she did write the Cake Bible. Rose is one of those personalities who just command a room. She’s a lovely, energetic lady whose knowledge and experience are quickly evident.

After a bible, what is there left to do? Rose must have a religious thread somewhere because she has just written Rose’s Heavenly Cakes. This hefty work is just as impressive as the Cake Bible and just as important. This is one of those if-I-were-headed-to-a-desert-island-what-would-I-take books.

What makes this book so special? First, it’s a Rose book. So it comes with very precise lists of ingredients and instructions. Typical of Rose’s books, those ingredients are presented to you by volume, by weight in ounces, and weight in grams. And when Rose says exactly 5.6 ounces, she means it.  You see, the second thing special about a Rose book is a guarantee of success. Follow her recipe to the letter and you really will be in cake heaven.

Lastly, the third special feature of Heavenly Cakes is the variety of sensational ideas here. Americans love cake, but we don’t bake them very often. Our flavor spectrum trends to the basic: vanilla and chocolate and yellow for the cake, vanilla and chocolate and perhaps lemon for the frosting. With cake decoration shows now the rage on television, there seems to be an overwhelming emphasis on how a cake looks. So, how often are you personally going to build a cake duplicating Notre Dame Cathedral?

In Heavenly Cakes, Rose gives you a bevy of brilliant cake ideas — ones you can truly do yourself. In turning the pages, I was struck by the recipe below, Spice Cake with Peanut Buttercream. Spice cake is one of those neglected flavors, lost in the maze of vanilla and chocolate. And Peanut Buttercream? How could you not be intrigued by that? Then to combine the two — just what would that combination taste like?

It tastes like heaven. It’s a superior cake, distinct in flavor, and thoroughly satisfying.

Give this recipe a try. Following Rose’s detail, I’ve listed the ingredients both by volume and where appropriate by weight in ounces. Take a look at Heavenly Cakes, browse the recipes and you’ll probably succumb to bringing it home.

Oh, I do have one confession. I am a vanilla-and-chocolate addict. So I also made Rose’s White Velvet Cake with Milk Chocolate Ganache. It’s a serious reason to have this book open in your kitchen. Or to take with you to that desert island.

Spice Cake with Peanut Buttercream

Yield: one 9” round layer

Ingredients for the Cake:

2 large eggs at room temperature [3.5 ounces]
⅔ cup buttermilk [5.3 fluid ounces]
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups cake flour [7 ounces]
1 cup superfine sugar [7 ounces]
1 ½ teaspoons unsweetened (alkalized) cocoa powder
3 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon cloves
8 tablespoons butter

Cake Preparation:

Special Equipment. Encircle one 9 by 2-inch round cake pan with a strip of parchment paper. Coat the bottom with shortening and top with parchment. Coat the parchment with baking spray and then flour.

Prepare the Oven. Twenty minutes or more before baking, preheat the oven to 350° F.

Mix the Liquid Ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, 3 tablespoons of the buttermilk, 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, cocoa, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and cloves on low speed for 30 seconds.  Add the butter and the remaining buttermilk. Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened. Raise the speed to medium and beat for 1 ½ minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Starting on medium-low speed, gradually add the egg mixture in two parts, beating on medium speed for 30 seconds after each addition to incorporate the ingredients and strengthen the structure. Using a silicone spatula, scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface evenly with a small offset spatula.

Bake the Cake. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a wire cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean and the cake springs back when pressed lightly in the center. The cake should start to shrink from the sides of the pan only after removal from oven.

Cool and Unmold the Cake. Let the cake cook in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Run a small metal spatula between the sides of the pan and the cake, pressing firmly against the pan, and invert the cake onto a wire rack that has been coated lightly with nonstick cooking spray. To prevent splitting, reinvert the cake so that the top side is up. Cool completely.

Ingredients for the Peanut Buttercream

½ cup Peanut butter, preferably Jif, at room temperature [4.7 ounces]
½ cup minus 1 tablespoon cream cheese (65-70°) [4 ounces]
4 tablespoons unsalted butter (65-70°) [2 ounces]
2 teaspoons sour cream
¼ cup powdered sugar, lightly spooned into the cup and leveled off, plus 3 more tablespoons
1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Buttercream Preparation:

Make the Peanut Buttercream. In a food processor, combine the peanut butter, cream cheese, butter, sour cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla and process, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary, until the butter cream is smooth and uniform in color.

Compose the Cake. When the cake is completely cool, spread a little buttercream on a 9-inch cardboard round or serving plate and set the cake 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. Frost the top and sides with swirls of silky buttercream. If using the paper strips, slowly slide them out from under the cake.

Source: Rose’s Heavenly Cakes by Rose Levy Beranbaum

St. John’s Eve Pasta: Anchovy and Almonds

by Brian on March 4th, 2010 in Cookbook Reviews, Recipes No Comments

Mario Batali is a culinary legend, a bundle of energy who has had enormous impact on America’s culinary landscape. His capacity for activity seems boundless: television including Iron Chef, restaurants spanning the continent, personal appearances, cooking contests, and, of course, cookbooks. But not just any cookbooks, for Batali is an enthusiastic advocate for finding and recording authentic recipes. Batali has become a food historian, preserving the culinary past for all generations.

In Molto Italiano, Batali records local recipes, the city-specific ones that make Italian cuisine so richly varied. Travel twenty miles in Italy from one town to another, and you’ll encounter an entirely new set of dishes. You really cannot compare, you can only enjoy.

This particular recipe is from Brindisi, an historic port city in Southern Italy. You’ve probably heard of Brindisi, but you won’t recall where. At the end of this blog, I’ll tell you.

On our first visit to Italy, Suzen and I actually went to Southern Italy and ate in one of the portside restaurants of Brindisi. I ate fresh anchovies at that little place, so when we saw this recipe which uses anchovies and almonds we were intrigued. That’s an unusual pairing of flavors. Knowing Mario, we expected something awesome. We were delighted with the results. So will you be.

Mangia.

Oh, I almost forgot about Brindisi. Remember the movie, and now television series, Spartacus? Kirk Douglas as the Roman gladiator who kills his trainer and leads a slave rebellion against Rome? His goal was to lead the slaves to freedom by crossing Italy, boarding ships and fleeing back to Greece. The port was Brindisi. Something to contemplate as you eat your anchovies.

St. John’s Eve Pasta

Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

¾ cup sliced blanched almonds

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

2 cups fresh bread crumbs

4 salt-packed anchovies, filleted, rinsed, and chopped

Freshly ground black pepper

1 onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1 ½ cups tomato sauce

6-8 fresh basil leaves, chiffonade

1 pound lasagnette or pappardele pasta

Preparation:

Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot, and add 2 tablespoons of salt.

Meanwhile, in a 10-inch sauté pan, gently toast the almonds in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat until golden brown.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the almonds to a plate. In the oil remaining in the pan, toast the bread crumbs, stirring, until golden brown and crisp. Combine the bread crumbs and almonds in a small bowl.

Add 2 tablespoons more olive to the pan and reduce the heat to medium-low. Stir in the anchovies and crush them into the oil with a fork. Add the anchovies and oil to the bread crumb mixture and season with lots of black pepper. Set aside.

Add the remaining 5 tablespoons olive oil to the pan, add the onion and garlic, and coo gently until softened but not browned.  Add the tomato sauce, being to a brisk simmer, and cook until the sauce has reduced by one-third. Add the basil, remove from the heat, and set aside.

Drop the pasta into the boiling water and cook until just al dente. Drain the past well, and toss into the pan with the sauce. Add half of the bread crumb mixture and toss to mix well.

Transfer the pasta to a warmed serving blow. Sprinkle the remaining bread crumb mixture over the top, and serve immediately.

Source: Molto Italiano by Mario Batali