This cake is so old. It’s so old that if we had any leftovers they would have been covered with green fuzzy stuff by now.

But luckily, there were no leftovers.

I just got so busy with summer (Well, not really—it’s been mostly cloudy here this June.) and kids outta school… and swim lessons… and stuff… But I still wanted to share this easy cake with you that I have made for my son’s birthday. He liked it so much that I thought it’s worth documenting and adding to the family recipe collection.

So, being busy and all + I don’t have much patience for making fussy cakes

… my little prince had to settle for a vanilla, banana, and whipped cream cake with marshmallows on top that I could make in 15 minutes. The poor guy.

Well, that one and the additional 16 individual dirt cakes + 9 *13 dirt cake I made for his party. I’m such a good mama!

Vanilla-banana cream birthday cake

for a 10-inch tart pan

petite buerre biscuits (or graham crackers, but I think petite buerre taste better and has better crumbs/texture)
1 stick butter, melted
1 package instant vanilla pudding
2 cups cold milk
1 teaspoon lemon and/or orange zest
2 cups heavy cream whipped with 2 tablespoons sugar + 1 teaspoon vanilla extract to medium peaks
2-4 bananas, sliced and mixed with lemon juice to prevent browning
Marshmallow for decorating, or any candy you like
A sparkler!

Grind the biscuits with the melted butter in a food processor. Remove from bowl and press into the tart pan + the sides.

In a medium size bowl, prepare the vanilla pudding, milk, and zest according to the instruction on the package. Chill.

When pudding is chilled, fold gently with the whipped cream.

Scatter the sliced bananas on top of the crust. Pour and spread the cream over the bananas.

Decorate with marshmallow and/or candy. Chill until ready to serve.

Happy birthday!

I’m not sure whether this cake should be filed under “small cake” or “big cookie”. I’ve seen people complain (about a similar cake, on other sites) that it is actually a big cookie. Well, the title did claim it was, well, cake… I guess that led them to develop some, you know, expectations. However and nonetheless, why complain about such a thing? On the other hand, all this business could  have been prevented had the cake been titled correctly.

My mantra is: all disappointments grow out of expectations. If one’s expectations are set straight then there will be no (major) disappointments or frustrations. Right? Certainly not about a cake that turns out looking like a big cookie!

So, I don’t want you to get the wrong idea about this lil’ cake/giant cookie. Maybe we’ll call it something new: a cakookie? Would that do?

Anyway… This cakookie is perfect to nibble on when the mood strikes all of a sudden. When one is in desperate need of a piece cake, or a cookie, like… RIGHT NOW. Especially on an average weekday, or weeknight. Or weekend. Especially when it’s rainy and blue.

It is also the perfect cakookie if you’re on a diet! Yes. Because you might want to have cake and eat it too! But you don’t want leftovers sitting around the house for days and days, tempting you, alluring you, winking at you like little devils, “eat me, eat me” and this exactly what happens when you’re dealing with a 9 to 10-inch size cake. Unless you’re sharing.

(Pssstt… Has anyone noticed I said “leftover cake”?)

The hazelnut chocolate lil’ cake presented to you hear is a variation on this walnut cake. I think hazelnuts and chocolate are the perfect match+ throw in a handful of walnuts for some crunch… Perfect-er!

Chocolate hazelnut cake/giant cookie

7 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for greasing the pan
2/3 cup sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons rum
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 pound hazelnut meal, lightly toasted*
1 handful chocolate chunks
1 handful chopped walnuts, lightly toasted, optional
1 cup all-purpose flour

Place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch springform pan and line it with parchment paper, grease it too.

Place the butter in a food processor with the sugar and process until creamy. Add the egg, rum, vanilla, and baking powder and pulse until you have a uniform paste. Transfer to a mixing bowl.

Fold the hazelnut meal, chocolate, and walnuts into the butter mixture with a spatula. Sift the flour in small amounts over the batter and fold together. When all the flour is incorporated, pour the batter into the cake pan, leveling it off with a spatula.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, then test the center of the cake with a toothpick. If it comes out dry, the cake is done. If not, bake 5-10 minutes longer. Remove from the oven and remove the sides of the pan. After the cake has cooled a bit, invert it onto a plate and carefully lift off the pan base and peel off the parchment paper. Invert once again and place on a serving plate.

NOTES: you can use whole hazelnuts instead of hazelnut meal and toast them, peel, and grind to make a meal. I find that the cost ends up pretty much the same and buying a meal in the first place is a terrific shortcut!

To toast whole nuts, spread them on a baking sheet and place in the middle of the oven. Toast in a 350 degrees F oven for 5-6 minutes.

I toast the hazelnut meal in a skillet or toaster oven—watch it closely—for a few minutes over low heat.

Today I’m going to preach to you. But I’ll keep is short, OK?

It’s about sugar. Wa-aaay too much sugar.

I confess, I never understood what’s the point in eating sugar as is. It might be called a “glaze” or a “syrup” or… whatever, but the bottom line is: it is pure sugar that people are eating. Why? It doesn’t really taste good, it’s just sweet, nothing interesting about that, and for sure, it doesn’t do any good to our bodies. So why, why, why do so many bakeries insist on drenching and drowning their baked good in cups and layers of sugar?

I can’t stand sugar glazed pasties. There, I’ve said it.

I had a little exercise lately. I’ve been cutting the amounts of sugar in baking recipes. And you know what? Nothing bad happened. On the contrary, good things happened.

I won’t name names but with some chefs/cooks/cookbooks I learned that I can automatically omit 1/4 to 1/2 cup sugar from the baking recipes and the cake will still rise and all. For example, last week I made lemon bars. The recipe called for 3 cups of sugar but I used 2 1/2 cups instead and it turned out great—sweet just right.

A few weeks ago I looked for a yogurt cake recipe. You know how a container of yogurt can be pushed to the end of the refrigerator’s shelf and be forgotten only to be discovered one day before its expiration date? So I needed a yogurt cake recipe.

I found recipes in 2 very popular cookbooks—I won’t name names, but keep an eye open when you bump into a recipe named Lemon yogurt cake or French-style yogurt cake. The recipes were 90% identical.

I’ve decided to go with the one that uses more yogurt (1 cup compared to 1/2 cup). Both recipes use a lot of sugar: 2 1/4 cups of sugar in one and 2 1/3 cups of sugar in the other. Now, let me break it down for you:

2 1/4 cups = 36 tablespoons of sugar.

For a cake that serves 8-10 people, that’s 3.6 to 4.5* tablespoons of sugar per slice/per person!!

* If you need more visualization, 4 tablespoon = 1/4 cup. Could you eat 1/4 cup of sugar if it was not hidden in a slice cake?

I was horrified only by the thought of it so I decided to skip the sugar glaze and the sugar syrup altogether and see how the cakes turns out. Instead I used only 3/4 cup sugar total in the cake’s batter, and, what do you know… it turned out perfect!

That’s a total of 12 tablespoons for the whole cake. That’s only 1 to 1.2 tablespoons of sugar per slice/person.

Halleluiah.

I also used oranges instead of lemons for 2 reasons: 1. it looks like lemons are way more expensive than oranges, and 2. oranges are less acidic and sweeter than lemons so I could use much, much less sugar (but regardless, I think it’s better to add other ingredients to balance a lemon’s sour taste than sugar like herbs (Thyme, rosemary, for example), or honey (more natural and rounded).

I also used a thick yogurt, Greek style which has less fluid and the cake was moist.

This cake is so easy to make, you just mix the ingredients, no mixer needed, and it tastes divine!—minus the 1 1/4 extra cups sugar—delicately tangy, so fresh, with a wonderful, light crumb.

Citrus yogurt cake

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup thick, Greek-style yogurt
3/4 cup sugar
3 extra-large eggs, room temperature
2 small oranges/lemons, juiced* and zested
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup canola oil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 1/2 by 4 1/4 inch loaf pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper. Grease and flour the pan.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into one bowl.

In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, sugar, eggs, zest, and vanilla.

Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Whisk the oil into the batter, until it’s all incorporated.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 50-60 minutes, or until a cake tester placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. While the cake is still warm, pour the orange juice over the cake and allow it to soak in. Let cool before unmolding and slicing.

* NOTE: This is optional. Pour the freshly squeezed 1/4 cup fresh orange juice over the baked, cooling, cake, or drink it for your pleasure.

This was the perfect cake to take to the beach.

***

I really have nothing else to add to that.

I made H. go into the kitchen to bake a cake! With his mom! (The in-laws visited us.We haven’t seen them in a long, long time.) You know, to snoop around and learn her secrets…

But really there are none! It is so simple to make. Besides the carrots’ part.

You grate and grate and grate the carrots… It requires some muscles and hard work.

Unless you have a trick up your sleeve you would like to share with me?

What’s your best cake to take to the beach, or picnic/potluck/party?

Mother-in-Law Carrot cake

(Or, in Romanian: PRAJITURA de MORCOVI)

For a 9.5 inch (28 cm) cake pan, or a 30 cm * 30 cm pan

4 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup canola oil
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 lb. (500 grams) carrots, peeled and grated
3 oz. (100 grams) raisins or dried currants
3 oz. (100 grams) walnuts, lightly toasted and chopped

Grease a baking pan and line with parchment paper.

Preheat the oven to 360 F (180 C) degrees.

In a bowl of a mixer put the eggs, sugar, oil, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt, and beat (We used the beater attachment but my MIL says she uses the whisk attachment) for 7 minutes on medium-high.

Add flour, carrots, raisins, and nuts, and beat on low speed.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 50 minutes.

For easy and safe transport, take it to the beach in the pan.

Oh My Goodness! The last time I posted a cake recipe was in April!!!!

I love baking and I have to bake a cake for the weekend—no, no one is putting a gun to my head–or else I go bananas. Or nuts.

I might have missed 2, or 3, or 4 Friday baking sessions in the past year and yes, I felt a tickle in my fingertips about skipping a baking opportunity. For me, the big idea is the baking act itself more than the actual eating of the cake. Although I do eat it too. Of course.

So what happened with the cake posts? Well… We had some of our favorite cakes repeated, like:

Jam crostata

Vanilla Pavlova

Chocolate cake

Ricotta Bundt Cheesecake

Walnut cake which I made with hazelnuts this time

and Crostata with Summer Fruit among others…

I think repetition of favorite dishes is part of what makes them an integral part of the household, part of our home.

I think about my kids growing up on a handful, but more likely two or three handfuls, of our favorite cakes that will always remind them of their childhood and of home. And of their mommy—that’s me. Hopefully, the latter will be fond memories… At least as much as the cakes themselves.

I will always continue to try new recipes, but I will always repeat some of those they love.

Then, one day I saw a photo in a magazine for blueberry shortcake with vanilla ice cream and I really really wanted to make it. However, I left the magazine in the car and H. took the car, and… I looked for another idea for the cake instead of shortcake. Then I saw a package of almond paste in the pantry and I wanted to use it before it gets too old… It’s been sitting there for months! So, almond cake it was.

I have 2 good recipes for almond cake that I made before but I wanted a new one. A more almond-y one. One that uses the whole tube of almond paste, not just a 1/4 cup of it. I Googled “Almond cake” and the first result that came up was a David Lebovitz recipe.

David Lebovitz? Chez Panisse? Those names guarantee that the recipe is a good one. Without a doubt in my mind, I raced back to the kitchen to bake it.

And so should you…

The recipe I used can be found here. (For another, later variation for it, made by David, click here.)

The cake was tall and handsome—can’t you see?—with a fine crumb, and delicate, but definite, almond flavor. It stayed good and moist, like new, even after 4 days.

It was perfectly matched with a blueberry compote I made:

Cook 1 cup of fresh blueberries with a bit of sugar and 1-2 tablespoons of water for a couple of minutes. When the fruit bursts and soften, add a squeeze of lemon juice and vanilla extract. Taste and fix the flavors until you’re happy and go “mmmm, this is good stuff”.

Serve with a dollop of ice cream. Or whipped cream. Or both.

***

Why, why, oh why have I waited so long to make this?

Goodness.

First, basically, I gotta tell you, this is so unbelievably easy to make which is just like totally unbelievable. Like. Totally.

Second, I love it! It’s like you basically make a dough, and like, em, smear jam on it, and sprinkle almonds which have totally been neglected, you know, ‘cause it’s the pecans and walnuts that get all the attention, nut-wise, but almonds are seriously so much more delicious, like totally.

And, thirdly, it’s like so awesome. It taste so good. Seriously. You must make it.

OK, ‘nough with this foolishness.

I’m so ecstatic about this apricot jam crostata that I’m pretty much speechless. It makes my head spin that I start to talk funny. I cannot get over how I have dismissed jam crostatas with a waive of my hand like you shoo a meaningless fly away from your face.

It’s so embarrassing.

I have made Crostata with Summer Fruit before but one with jam? No. It seemed too simple and stupid for some unknown to me reason.

I couldn’t believe that such simplicity could be so heavenly.

Shame on me.

Just, here, look at this,

And here it is glowing in the sunset,

Oh, it got a little imperfection there where jam is oozing out, oh no…

and here it is sprinkled with powdered sugar

here it is wearing blue

Do you prefer it in dark brown?

And, I’m sorry, but I’ve gotta do this to you to; poke you in the eye

Ok, one more. Last one,

Oh so good.

And I loved it with a bit of whipped cream. Dress it up a little. Make it a little fancier, you know.

Whipped cream makes me ecstatic too.

But my family can be indifferent when it comes to whipped cream that it makes me wonder sometimes, “Am I really related to these people? Who are they? Am I in the right house?”

I love homemade whipped cream. But I know some people are scared to give it a try. (Listen, worst case scenario, you’ll end up with homemade butter. It ain’t so bad either, is it?!)

All you have to do is whisk 1 cup of heavy cream with a tablespoon of sugar and if you’re not sure it’s stiff enough, there’s a special modern technology called finger licking you can apply to test its doneness,

and if you’re not sure, whisk it a bit more and test again using your special fingerly device,

Look at this cloud of cream. It does add an extra luxuriousness to the crostata, no?!

Apricot jam crostata

Adapted from “Giada’s Family Dinners” by Giada De Laurentiis

Makes 8 servings

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 lemon, zested + 1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into half-inch pieces
3 tablespoons ice water
about 3/4 cup apricot jam
a handful of toasted slivered/sliced almonds (toast in 350 F oven)
Powdered sugar for dusting

Whipped cream for serving, optional (It actually should be mandatory. Everything is better with a lil’ pillow of cream)

Combine the flour, sugar, lemon zest and salt in a food processor and pulse to blend. 
Add the butter and pulse until the mixture has coarse crumbs. Add the lemon juice and ice water, pulsing until a ball starts to form. 
Gather the dough into a ball and flatten it into a disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 40-60 minutes. 
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. 
Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to make an 11-inch round. Roll it around the rolling pin and transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Mix the jam to loosen it and make it more spreadable (thin it with water or more lemon juice if needed), and spread over the dough, leaving a 2-inch border. Fold the dough border over the filling to form an 8-inch round, pleating the crust loosely and sealing any cracks in the dough. 
Bake the crostata until the crust is golden, about 40 minutes (Mine was ready after 30 minutes so watch yours). Let cool for 10 minutes, then carefully slide it onto a serving platter.
Sprinkle with almonds and powdered sugar.

Here’s the last piece. I saved it for you,

Well, actually, no, I didn’t.

It’s mine. All mine.

Like. Totally. Not sharing.

Seriously.

A cloud of baked marshmallow-like egg whites with a lemon hint

A fluffy pillow of whipped cream

Juicy fruit, fresh mint

I’m living in a dream

Need I say more?

Ok, I’ll say more.

First, it’s the first time I’ve written a little poem for food, so that says something.

Second, I promise you we did not coordinate the clothes to match the pavlova.

Third, remember the macarons? How can you not (if not, click here immediately)?! When I posted about my first macaron making attempt a reader, Giovanna, commented that the addition of jam and whipped cream “made them sort of Pavlovarons”. Ha! Pavlovarons – I loved that!, and then it hit me. I had a Pavlova sitting on the back burner, figuratively speaking, waiting to see the light of day. Waiting for you. Waiting for the world. It has been patiently waiting for about….. nearly 3 weeks! Ts ts ts, this really not OK. So, I had to mop the dust off of it and do it justice. Here it is.

Much better. Isn’t she a beauty?

We had friends come over a few weeks ago for lunch and games for the kids and the adults. I made lunch and of course, I wanted to make dessert, but which one? Some people have a sensitivity to dairy, some are gluten-free, but I had to have dessert. Then I saw a gorgeous photo of a pavlova in Jamie Oliver’s wonderful “Cook” book (remember the whole cauliflower?) and I thought, “A-ha! I got it! Pavlova”. It has eggs, no flour, no dairy, and there’s fruit… Only at midnight, 10 minutes before falling asleep, I realized that heavy cream is… em… dairy. Oops. Now what? I turned in bed from side to side all night. I love whipped cream so much that I’m denial that it can make someone feel bad.

I went ahead and made it anyway but planned to leave only half of the pavlova filled with whipped cream and the rest un-creamed which will be served with dairy free ice cream. The planned worked out great. Our friends did ended up eating a little bit of whipped cream. No one reported being sick which I hope was not because they didn’t want to tell me… And I fell in love with pavlova. I can easily see many more Pavlova desserts in my future. Can you see it?

I baked the shell a day ahead but whipped the cream, filled the shell with it, and added the fruits just before serving. Right in front of my guests. Well, we were sitting in the kitchen anyway… And, yes, I “styled” and photographed it as they sat across the table and watched me do so… That felt kinda weird… I’ve never done this before non-family people. They watched me silently and I tried to work – with clean hands, touching their food – as fast as I could. I wondered what went inside their heads while I pulled out my big white Styrofoam that I use as a reflector… But I’d say, in light of circumstances, it turn out pretty well, right?!

 
[/donotprint]
Vanilla Pavlova with whipped cream and seasonal fruits[print_link]

Basic meringue recipe adapted from “Cook with Jamie” cookbook

Makes…. well, that depends… 1-10 servings?

For the meringue:
6 large egg whites
1 cup + 5 tablespoons superfine sugar
a pinch of salt
2 teaspoons lemon zest, optional

Preheat the oven to 300 F degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Draw a 12*4 inch rectangle with a pencil on the paper, then turn the paper over so the drawing is on the bottom side. (This way you won’t get a pencil mark on the meringue.)

Put the egg whites in a clean and dry mixer bowl. Whisk on medium speed until the whites look thick and form firm peaks. With the mixer running, add the sugar slowly and the salt. Turn the mixer to high speed and whisk for 7-8 minutes until the meringue looks glossy. (Optional – half a minute before the meringue is done, add the lemon zest.) Resist the temptation to dive into the beautiful white cloud inside the bowl! Using a spatula or a big spoon, spread the meringue onto the parchment paper following the edges of the rectangle.

Bake for 1hour until crisp outside and still soft and marshmallow-y inside. Take out of the oven and let cool.

For the whipped cream:
2 cups cold heavy cream
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whisk the cream with the sugar and vanilla in a mixer bowl (or use a hand mixer) until firm. When is starts to thicken and leave whisk “marks” follow closely so you won’t over-whisk it.

Add sliced fruits and chopped mint, and… 1, 2, 3, attack!

I have a friend whom I love dearly. There were times when I wondered how we became friends, and stayed friends, because we are just so… different.

I’m a planner, she’s spontaneous.

I’m formal, she’s casual.

I’m kinda strict, she’s more laid-back.

I remember details, she doesn’t care much about that stuff.

I love to bake, she doesn’t.

When I teach a baking class, she talks about play dates. (But she did come to the class!)

I’m a drill sergeant, she’s… What’s the opposite of drill sergeant?

There’s more, but you got the picture, no?!

These differences used to drive me nuts. We had a few misunderstandings in the past. Sometimes I took it personally and even got upset although I know she didn’t do anything intentionally.

It’s been about 4 years since we first met.

Looking back, I realize how much influence this friendship had/has on me. It sure made me change.

It wasn’t easy, I struggled, (I still do), and I can be a little stubborn, but I do like a challenge (Isn’t that a nicer way to put it than saying “stubborn”?) and I don’t give up on good people easily.

I have loosened up a bit.

I relaxed a bit.

I don’t feel like I need to be perfect with everyone, everywhere, all the time anymore. Phew, how tiring is being perfect all the time, right?!

I even allow myself to be late from time to time (But only with people who are late themselves, since arriving on time is not important to them.)

I’m not so tense before guests arrive, I don’t care as much anymore if everything is in shipshape and ready on time (as long as I am dressed appropriately enough).

I work hard on being more spontaneous… Oh, now there’s a little contradiction right there in that phrase, isn’t it?! Hmm, well, that one might take a while…

We spent some time at her house this past week. The kids played, we talked, she baked!, we had dinner. I love that although she dislikes baking, she made a cake. From scratch! And I love how my kids feel free to ask her for a snack or a drink, even open the fridge and take food out without asking for permission and it makes her happy. She likes it that way. I don’t know a lot of people who are like that. She’s special.

Every time I ask her to join me when I’m baking, she becomes terrified. When I suggest making whipped cream together, she heads to the door, recalling there’s an errand she need to do. She keeps insisting making those cakes where you dump all the ingredients together and mix them with a spoon.

You just cannot dump everything into a bowl and hope for a fluffy cake. There is one tiny thing that makes a whole lot of difference between a heavy cake and a fluffy cake. (Are you with me?) It’s 5 minutes of beating or whisking, butter with sugar or eggs and sugar. That’s all, my friend, and dear readers. So, I challenge you, do it, beat it, or whisk it.

There’s noting better than home-made cakes and cookies to make the house smell great. And a fluffy cake is even better.

Some house keeping:

1. Valentine’s Day: Send me a photo with something red if you would like to participate, and get some link love to your blog, by Wednesday, to be included in a Valentine’s Day post.

2. Cake collection. Linda from The boreka diary made this awesome chocolate espresso cake that has a rich, dark, intense chocolate flavor, and wanted to share it with me and you.

Easy maple nut’s cake

This is a recipe from my aunt Ettie. She probably got it from a neighbor who cut it out of some shiny women’s magazine. I got the ingredients’ list from her with very general instructions. I added a few details for those who need them – I need them too. But really, this is really easy. Just beat it.

For a 9.5 inch (24 cm) cake pan

For the cake:
1 1/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
200 ml sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup oil (canola)
pinch of salt
1 1/4 cup self-rising flour
For the topping:
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1-2 handful walnuts, chopped (lightly toasted for 5-7 minutes in a 350 F oven)
1-2 handful chocolate chips, or chunks, optional
3-4 tablespoons maple syrup

Preheat the oven to 350 F degrees. Grease a 9.5 inch springform pan cake.

Beat the eggs and sugar for 5 minutes on medium-high speed until light and fluffy.

Lower the mixer speed to low, add each ingredient slowly. Mix well. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Spread the toppings on top of the batter, besides the maple.

Bake for 55-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Take the cake out of the oven and while it is hot, drizzle the maple syrup on top. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then release from the pan and let cool to room temperature.

The batter should be thick with a beautiful cream color

I put the spray inside the pan so I won’t forget to grease the pan.

I spray the pan on the dishwasher cover so it won’t make a mess around.

Hey, you have noticed it’s been a while since I’ve posted a cake, right?! I’m really truly sorry about that. Cake means a lot to me. Cake is family and a home. I hope that by now it means a little to you too. If not a lot.

Maybe it’s time to bring the cake collection back to life. What is “the cake collection”? You can submit a recipe and photo/guest post a cake you made and get some link love. It can even be one that you have already posted on your blog. There’s nothing to lose, only win! Click here for more info. I’d love to see your cakes and it’ll be chance for me and the blog readers to get to know YOU.

So, without further delays… here it is… Ina Garten’s Honey Vanilla Pound Cake recipe. The recipe is from her “back to basics” cookbook. I will tell you more about it soon as I’ve been cooking my way through the book this week. It has lots of wonderful recipes. This is how I stumbled upon this cake which had a gorgeous of honey-sunnycolored cake.

It took 15 minutes to make!

A little note about the photography. Ever since this workshop I stopped using my tripod. Since Penny said she does not use one, which was music to my ears, I quit using mine. BUT, I guess my hands are not as stable as hers and I notice the recent photos are not so sharp. For example, the top photo was shot using a tripod and the one below was not. The last one, at the bottom of the post was shot with a tripod. You can see the difference? I can too. So from now on, I’m back to using it.

I really dislike, to say it gently, using the tripod. I feel it limits my freedom to move and shoot from different angles freely and quickly. I especially hate that mine is very inconvenient to shoot a lengthwise photo since it lacks that axis that moves the camera in different angles. I wasn’t aware of that when I bought it. So there’s a tip for you. Remember this when you buy yours! Mine only moves 2 ways; left-right and up-down, but when the camera is set lengthwise for a photo like the top one, it’s a pain to work with. Aarggggh. But as I can clearly see the difference in sharpness and quality, I admit, it is much better with a tripod.

Honey vanilla pound cake

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at cool room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
4 eggs, at room temperature
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2 cups sifted cake flour*
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 F degrees (180°C.) Grease the bottom of an 8½ x 4½ x 2½ inch loaf pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.

In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed for 3-4 minutes, until light and fluffy.

In a separate bowl, put the eggs, honey, vanilla and lemon zest but do not combine. With the mixer on medium low speed, add the egg mixture, one egg at a time, allowing each egg to become incorporated and scraping the bowl with a spatula before adding the next one.

Sift together the flour, salt and baking powder. With the mixer on low speed, add it slowly to the batter until just combined.

Finish mixing the batter with a spatula and pour it into the prepared pan. Smooth the top.

Bake for 50-60 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes, turn out onto a baking rack, and cool completely.

* For cake flour substitute, click here.

As far as my memory goes back in time, I can count the times I baked with someone on one hand. I don’t get too many opportunities to bake together with family or friends besides my son (who sometimes quits before the process is complete) or an occasional guest. Baking means a lot to me. (This is why I’m starting to think about teaching baking classes!) Having something home-baked is like going the extra mile when it comes to making a home. (I’m not saying it has to be made from scratch.) And baking with someone you like, or even LOVE, is the best combination of all things good.  This week, I got to bake with Jessie.

I met Jessie, a.k.a the Cakespy a few times at Foodbuzz and Frantic Foodie events and every time I had a chance to talk with her, I liked her more. I can’t remember how we got to this idea of getting together to make a pumpkin pie, but we did. It was lots of fun and we made a one terrific pumpkin pie creation together! Look at these layers of beauty…

Don’t you feel like diving right into that pillowy layer of whipped cream flavored with brandy and making a snow angle? Or poking the pumpkin custard with your finger and licking it? Or, if showing better manners, getting a big tablespoon and digging right into the vanilla layer? Don’t you?!

Well, Jessie had a hard time waiting for the custards to set and photos being taken, and right after we took a few photos of the pie, she wanted to cut right into it and sample a slice.

While I was still trying to capture a good, better, best picture.

That’s me. Photo by Cakespy.

Thank you, Jessie!

I know some of you out there, including my dear friends and family, will never cook a custard from scratch. And yes, this pie does have a few steps involved in its creation. Each one really easy on its own, but I admit, it was much easier and faster to make this together than if I had to do it all by myself. All alone in the kitchen…

But no worries, you know me, I always have shortcuts and a few tricks up my sleeve to make your life easier, no? I’ve got 3 words for you: instant. vanilla. pudding. You can use it instead of making the custards. Mix half with the pumpkin ingredients, and half with whipped cream.

And go visit Jessie’s sweet blog, Cakespy, to see what she wrote about this fabulous pie.

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Pumpkin banana cream pie

The pumpkin custard is based on an Ina Garten’s Pumpkin Banana Mousse Tart and the vanilla custard is based on Tom Douglas’s Coconut cream pie (- the coconut + banana).

We used an 11-inch tart pan but you can use a regular pie pan. In any case, you probably will have some extra custard which you can layer and serve in pretty little bowls, as you can see here Pumpkin banana creamy dreamy dessert.

For an 11-inch tart pan + extra custard to fill 3 bowls/martini glasses

For the dough:
2 sticks unsalted butter
2 tablespoons sugar
2 cups self-rising flour
2 egg yolks
¾ cup banana chips, crushed to bits in food processor

For the vanilla pastry cream:
2 cups milk
1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise or 1 teaspoon extract/paste
2 large eggs
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened

For the pumpkin custard layer:
1/2 cup half-and-half
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree
1 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
A pinch ground nutmeg
3 extra-large egg yolks
1 package (2 teaspoons) unflavored gelatin
1 ripe banana, finely mashed
1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest
1/4 cup orange juice

For whipped cream:
1 1/2 cups heavy cream, chilled
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons brandy

1-2 bananas thinly sliced

For the dough:

Pulse butter, sugar, and flour in a food processor, or do it with hands, until you get big crumbs. Add the yolks, pulse until the crumbs are moist. Press into a generously greased 11-inch tart pan. Press the crushed banana chips into dough. Refrigerate covered for ½ hour.
Bake at 375 F for 20-25 minutes.

For the coconut pastry cream:

Warm the milk in a medium saucepan until it almost comes to a boil. Add the vanilla. (If using a vanilla bean, scrape the seeds from the bean and add both the seeds and pod to the milk mixture. Place the saucepan over medium-high heat and stir occasionally.)

In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, and flour until well combined. Temper the eggs (to keep them from scrambling) by pouring about 1/3 cup of the scalded milk into the egg mixture while whisking. Then add the warmed egg mixture to the saucepan of milk. Whisk over medium-high heat until the pastry cream thickens and begins to bubble. Keep whisking until the mixture is very thick, 4 to 5 minutes more.

Remove the saucepan from the heat. Add the butter and whisk until it melts. (Remove and discard the vanilla pod.) Transfer the pastry cream to a bowl and place it over a bowl of ice water. Stir occasionally until it is cool. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pastry cream to prevent a crust from forming and refrigerate until completely cold. The pastry cream will thicken as it cools.

For the pumpkin layer:

Heat the half-and-half, pumpkin, brown sugar, salt, ginger, and nutmeg in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water until hot, about 5 minutes. Whisk the egg yolks in another bowl, stir some of the hot pumpkin into the egg yolks to heat them, then pour the egg-pumpkin mixture back into the double boiler and stir well. Heat the mixture over the simmering water for another 4 to 5 minutes, until it begins to thicken, stirring constantly (so the eggs to scramble) until it reaches 160 F degrees. Remove from the heat.

Dissolve the gelatin in 1/4 cup orange juice (or water). Add the dissolved gelatin, banana, and orange zest to the pumpkin mixture and mix well. Set aside to chill in the fridge or use the same ice bath as the vanilla cream.

For the whipped cream:

In an electric mixer with the whisk, whip the heavy cream with the sugar and brandy on medium-high speed until firm peaks form.

To assemble:

When the custards and dough are cooled, assemble the pie by layering the fresh bananas on top of the dough. Then spoon with vanilla cream on top, smoothing the surface. Next, add the pumpkin custard, and last spoon the whipped cream. Decorate with banana chips or fresh banana slices (add fresh banana only shortly before serving so they don’t brown). Let pie set in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before serving.

Really, it’s easy as pie. But much easier, and funner, when you make it together with a friend.

Coming up next, this…

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