brunch

Upside Down Nectarine Pancake

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ 1 Comment
Upside Down Nectarine Pancake

Due to the unprovoked, continuing brutal war of annihilation against Ukrainian civilians by Vladimir Putin and his army and the worsening humanitarian crisis, please consider helping by following the link below. There are a number of reputable aid agencies from which to choose.

Support Humanitarian Efforts in Ukraine

Upside Down Nectarine Pancake

This Upside Down Nectarine Pancake makes the most of these luscious stone-fruits. The delightful, juicy nectarines are enhanced by the melding of cardamom, nutmeg and caramelly jaggery. Of course, if you don’t have jaggery available, Muscovado, light brown sugar or even plain old granulated sugar will do.

We are at the height now of stone-fruit season. It doesn’t last long enough for me. So I have a tendency to get a bit carried away when I see beautiful nectarines, peaches and plums at the store or farmer’s market. And unfortunately, they all seem to achieve their peak eating at exactly the same moment. That’s what happened with these gorgeous nectarines. Thankfully, my husband had the brilliant suggestion of taking my absolute favorite Upside Down Blueberry Pancake and tweaking it to use up the nectarines. The photos don’t quite do it justice.

You could also substitute or even mix ripe peaches or plums here. And of course, nectarines and blueberries also make for a great combination. The beauty of nectarines is that they have no fuzzy skin like peaches that needs to be peeled. In fact, the peel in the Upside Down Nectarine Pancake seems to absorb so much of the flavor and is so tender that it was an integral part of the dish. The liquid in the pan is all syrupy deliciousness which also means that there is no need for maple or any other syrup. I soak up every drop with the spongey pancake. And if there is any leftover, I eat it up with my finger.

Be sure to check out the the Upside Down Blueberry Pancake.

Upside Down Nectarine Pancake

Recipe

Yield: 2 to 4 servings

Upside Down Nectarine Pancake

Ingredients

For the nectarine filling:

    1/3 cup jaggery, Muscovado, light brown or granulated sugar

    Zest and juice of 1 medium lemon

    26 ozs. of whole nectarines or other stone-fruit (A bit more is fine), cut into slices/wedges about 1/2-inch thick

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

    3 tbsp unsalted butter

  For the batter:

    1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

    1 tsp double acting baking powder

    1/8 tsp baking soda

    1 tbsp jaggery, Muscovado, light brown or granulated sugar

    ½ tsp kosher salt

    ½ tsp ground cardamom

1/8 tsp grated nutmeg

    4 large eggs at room temperature

    1 cup buttermilk (or 1 cup plain, whole milk kefir)

    1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°F

Place a 9” cast iron skillet on the stove. Put 3 tbsp unsalted butter, cut up, into the skillet.

Dry ingredients:

Place 1 cup flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/8 tsp baking soda, 1 tbsp jaggery, Muscovado, light brown or granulated sugar, ½ tsp kosher salt, and ½ tsp ground cardamom and 1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg in a bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.

Filling:

Place 1/3 cup sugar in a small bowl.

Finely grate the zest of 1 medium lemon onto the sugar.

Mash the zest and sugar together with a rubber spatula, or rub the zest into the sugar with your fingertips until the zest and sugar is fully combined and gritty. (If using jaggery, the sugar will melt into almost a paste.) If no one is watching, then by all means, lick your fingers.

Start heating the skillet on medium heat to melt the butter. Reduce the heat to low.

Juice one half of the lemon onto the nectarine. Add one half of the sugar/zest mixture. Gently toss to combine.

Juice the other half of the lemon into butter in the skillet. Add the remainder of the sugar/zest mixture. Stir to combine.

Pour the nectarines into the skillet. Use a spatula or spoon to even them out in the skillet. The butter should be gently bubbling under the nectarines.

Batter:

Place 4 large eggs into a large bowl and whisk until frothy. Add 1 cup buttermilk (or kefir) and 1 tsp vanilla extract and whisk to combine.

Gradually add the dry ingredients to the eggs/milk, stirring the batter just enough to combine them.

Remove the skillet from the heat.

Pour the batter evenly all over the nectarines, by swirling from the middle of the pan outwards into a circle.

Put the skillet in the oven, baking at 400°F until puffed and golden-brown, about 20 minutes. You want this to be well browned or the batter will be under-done.

Remove and let cool for a few five minutes.

Serve and enjoy! And don’t forget to spoon all those delicious juices onto the plate. They are perfect for dipping the poufy pancake in.

Upside Down Nectarine Pancake

Savory Asparagus Tart

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ 1 Comment
Savory Asparagus Tart

Due to the unprovoked, continuing brutal war of annihilation against Ukrainian civilians by Vladimir Putin and his army and the worsening humanitarian crisis, please consider helping by following the link below. There are a number of reputable aid agencies from which to choose.

Support Humanitarian Efforts in Ukraine

This fabulous Savory Asparagus Tart is ready in under an hour, but looks like you slaved all day. I served it for our Shavuot dinner with a salad and Lemon Almond Semolina Cake for dessert. Our drink of choice was a beautiful Vermentino from Ryme Wine Cellars. But this easy-to-prepare savory tart would also make a beautiful brunch meal or a perfect Meatless Monday option.

Savory Asparagus Tart

Believe it or not but I came across this recipe in a folio sent by my grocery store a couple of months back. I made a couple of changes and my presentation was a simple change that just made this tart a visual stunner.

This Savory Asparagus Tart comes together so quickly because you use a prepared frozen puff pastry. It was even quicker because this time I bought cheese that was already grated and crumbled. Something this pretty AND delicious doesn’t have to be difficult. My husband and I were able to spend the entire day outside enjoying the gorgeous weather and we still sat down to a beautiful and delicious meal. Give it a try. And if you don’t wish to use puff pastry, a regular tart or unsweetened pie pastry or phyllo dough would also work.

Savory Asparagus Tart

Recipe

Yield: 6 generous servings

Ingredients

1 full package of frozen puff pastry, thawed according to package instructions

2 teaspoons EVOO

1 pound (1 bunch) fresh asparagus, trimmed

8 large eggs

1/2 cup whole milk ricotta cheese

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper or to taste

4 green onions (scallions), trimmed and thinly sliced

5 ounces shredded cheese (I used a combo of asiago, parmesan and fontina, but any one of those would also work)

4 ounces of goat cheese crumbles

2 to 3 Tablespoons chopped fresh dill

2 to 3 Tablespoons chopped (or snipped) fresh chives. (You can use other fresh herbs if these are unavailable or to suit your preferences.)

Savory Asparagus Tart

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a 1/4-sheet pan (9 x 13) with parchment or lightly brush with oil

Flour a work surface and roll out the pastry to fit the pan so that it will go up the sides. Place it in the pan. You can trim any excess or fold it under. Prick the pastry all over and place it in the fridge while yo prepare the filling.

Set aside 5 asparagus spears that are about the same size and that have straight stems. Use a vegetable peeler to peel the stems and trim off the woody bottoms of the asparagus.

Savory Asparagus Tart

Trim off the woody bottoms of the remaining asparagus and cut the spears into pieces that are 2 to 3-inches long. Place the cut pieces in a large sauté pan with the EVOO and cook on medium high heat for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Savory Asparagus Tart

Whisk the eggs, ricotta, salt and pepper in a large bowl.

Remove the sheet pan from the fridge and scatter the cut, sautéed asparagus and the sliced green onions evenly across the bottom of the pastry.

Savory Asparagus Tart

Top with the shredded cheese.

Savory Asparagus Tart

Pour the egg mixture over the top and spread it evenly. Then top with the goat cheese crumbles. Carefully lay the asparagus spears that you set aside across the top on a slight angle. Press them gently into the cheese. Sprinkle the entire top of the tart with the fresh herbs.

Savory Asparagus Tart

Bake for 10 minutes in the middle of the oven and then lower the temperature to 375 degrees F. Continue baking until the edges are puffed and golden and the eggs are set and beautifully browned – about 25 minutes.

Savory Asparagus Tart

Remove from the oven and allow everything to set for 10 minutes before cutting.

Serve with a beautiful salad, crusty bread and a crisp white wine. Leftovers can be wrapped in parchment and reheated in the oven, preferably on a pizza steel or stone.

Upside Down Blueberry Pancake

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ 3 Comments
Upside Down Blueberry Pancake

Due to the unprovoked, brutal and merciless war on Ukraine by Vladimir Putin and the worsening humanitarian crisis, please consider helping by following the link below. There are a number of reputable aid agencies from which to choose.

Support Humanitarian Efforts in Ukraine

If I had to choose a last meal on earth, it would be this Upside Down Blueberry Pancake. My husband created this incredible skillet pancake over many months of trial and error. It would be too cruel of me not to share it.

Breakfast foods are a favorite of mine – but only when I eat them for dinner. I just can’t consume that much first thing in the morning. About once a week, I ask my husband to make this Upside Down Blueberry Pancake for dinner. And as soon as I have devoured it, I begin counting the days until he makes it again.

Without any shame, I eat half of the pan with vegan sausage patties in one sitting. There are 18 ounces of blueberries in this pancake! My tongue and teeth are purple when I finish – but that is what baking soda is for!

The gorgeous, fat purply blueberries burst in your mouth and the delicious tang of fresh lemon – zest and juice – enhances the fruitiness. This is AMAZING! The pancake part of this dish is spongey and lofty, perfect for absorbing all of the fruity, blueberry, lemony juices. And if there is anything – and I mean anything – left on my plate, I use my finger and tongue to lap up every delicious bit.

For a lot of people, this dish would serve 4. But I have never felt uncomfortably stuffed or heavy after eating half of the pan. Upside Down Blueberry Skillet Pancake is neither overly sweet nor heavy. This will knock any other skillet or griddle pancake right out of the running. And because it bakes up in the oven, there is no standing over a griddle or fussily flipping pancakes. Everything is done in one pan.

Other than a well-seasoned cast iron skillet, there are no special tools or skills needed for this recipe. This is dinner AND dessert in one go. If you don’t make this right away – well, I can’t be held responsible.

Upside Down Blueberry Pancake

Recipe

Yield: 2 to 4 servings

Ingredients

For the blueberry filling:

    1/3 cup granulated sugar

    Zest and juice of 1 medium lemon

    18 ozs. of blueberries, rinsed and well drained

    3 tbsp unsalted butter

  For the batter:

    1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

    1 tsp double acting baking powder

    1/8 tsp baking soda

    1 tbsp granulated sugar

    ½ tsp kosher salt

    ½ tsp ground cardamom

    4 large eggs at room temperature

    1 cup buttermilk (or 1 cup plain, whole milk kefir)

    1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Upside Down Blueberry Pancake

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°F

Place a 9” cast iron skillet on the stove. Put 3 tbsp unsalted butter, cut up, into the skillet.

Dry ingredients:

Place 1 cup flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/8 tsp baking soda, 1 tbsp granulated sugar, ½ tsp kosher salt, and ½ tsp ground cardamom in a bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.

Filling:

Place 1/3 cup granulated sugar in a small bowl.

Finely grate the zest of 1 medium lemon onto the sugar.

Upside Down Blueberry Pancake

Mash the zest and sugar together with a rubber spatula, or rub the zest into the sugar with your fingertips until the zest and sugar is fully combined and gritty. If no one is watching, then by all means, lick your fingers.

Start heating the skillet on medium heat to melt the butter. Reduce the heat to low.

Juice one half of the lemon onto the blueberries. Add one half of the sugar/zest mixture. Gently toss to combine.

Juice the other half of the lemon into butter in the skillet. Add the remainder of the sugar/zest mixture. Stir to combine.

Pour the blueberries into the skillet. Use a spatula or spoon to even them out in the skillet. The butter should be gently bubbling under the blueberries.

Batter:

Place 4 large eggs into a large bowl and whisk until frothy. Add 1 cup buttermilk (or kefir) and 1 tsp vanilla extract and whisk to combine.

Gradually add the dry ingredients to the eggs/milk, stirring the batter just enough to combine them.

Remove the skillet from the heat.

Pour the batter evenly all over the berries, by swirling from the middle of the pan outwards into a circle.

Put the skillet in the oven, baking at 400°F until puffed and golden-brown, about 20 minutes. You want this to be well browned or the batter will be under-done.

Remove and let cool for a few five minutes.

Serve and enjoy! And don’t forget to spoon all those delicious juices onto the plate. They are perfect for dipping the poufy pancake in.

Duck Bacon Spinach Quiche

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ Leave a comment
Duck Bacon Spinach Quiche

Dear Friends, I initially wrote this post about 10 days ago. Before the world had spun on its axis and Putin had invaded – without any provocation – the free and independent country of Ukraine. It was scheduled to go live this Sunday morning Chicago time. However, I pulled it, thinking it was just too frivolous. Like most of you, I have been glued to the TV and internet, watching in disbelief as the Russian Military has brought in every horrible weapon but one in its arsenal in an attempt to drag Ukraine back under the Russian boot. I have watched as the incredibly brave and resourceful people of Ukraine have stood their ground and defended their homeland against incredible odds. And I have watched as they have held back the might of the Russian Military – not ceding territory and not giving Putin the easy win he had expected.

Just as we appear to be emerging from the pandemic of the past two years, we are again thrust into a very stressful time with a crazed Putin threatening the use of nuclear weapons. I am old enough to remember the Cuban Missile Crisis. We children were sent home from school to be with our families on the very real possibility of a Russian strike and possible death. Thankfully that disaster was averted and we were brought back from the brink of a nuclear war.

When I am stressed (as well as when I am happy, if I am honest) I turn to family and food for comfort and celebration. For me, if I have a big pot of soup on the stove and a bread and pie coming out of the oven, I feel just a little bit safer. It’s that warm hug that we all need at times. With that in mind, as well as hopefully providing a very brief distraction, I decided to have this post go live after all. Read this as my poke in the eye to Putin – that he will not destroy Ukraine or democracy. Let them eat quiche!

Custardy, comforting Duck Bacon Spinach Quiche is easy to make and even easier to eat. The flavor is a well-balanced blend of creamy custard with a gently savory duck bacon, gruyere and spinach filling with a hint of nutmeg all in a flaky crust. A crisp green salad is the only accompaniment needed to round out the perfect meal.

Foods and their popularity tend to go in and out of fashion. There was a time when quiche was EVERYWHERE. And then it was nowhere. When I was growing up, it was not uncommon for my parents to invite teachers to our home for a Sunday lunch or dinner. I couldn’t imagine doing that with my son’s teachers. Does anyone do that anymore?? Nevertheless, my mother’s go to teacher’s meal was a beautiful Quiche Lorraine. It was considered very avant garde at the time and the teachers were always delighted to experience it. My mother was a wonderful cook and hostess.

Quiche also went through a phase of being super-sized – the higher the filling, the better. I’m afraid that it became lost to the American tendency to make everything bigger, but rarely better. Real quiche, though, is a delightful dish that doesn’t over-power.

A word about duck bacon. Of course, you can make this with regular, thick-cut bacon. However, duck bacon is worth a try. It is meatier, with half the fat of traditional bacon. It cooks up easily and even when crisped, it retains a lovely chew for a great mouthfeel. As my readers know by now, we eat very little meat these days. So when I do eat some, I want something where a little bit goes a long way for flavor and satisfaction.

Recently I bought some duck bacon, but I didn’t actually have anything in mind to make with it at the time. My husband, however, was getting concerned that it would go to waste, so I started to think of how to use it in a way that would show it off. I almost always have cream, eggs, good cheese and either spinach or kale floating around my refrigerator, so quiche seemed like a natural solution. It had been off my rotation of foods for years and I honestly couldn’t think why.

After checking out a number of recipes, I came up with this one. My crust is from Cook’s Illustrated minus the sugar. You, however, can use any basic pie crust that you like, including one from the grocery. The only change I might make next time would be to blind bake my pie dough first. I did use a metal pie plate on top of a baking steel, so it was fine, but it could have been a bit crisper on the bottom. On the other hand, the ease of not blind baking my crust first kind of out-weighed doing it!

If you haven’t made a quiche in a long time – or ever – now is the time to do it.

Recipe

Duck Bacon Quiche

Yield: 4 to 6 generous portions

Ingredients

1 unbaked 9-inch pie dough

3 large eggs at room temperature

1 cup of heavy cream at room temperature

1/2 cup of 1% or 2% milk at room temperature

4 slices of cooked duck bacon, cut into dice

1 cup of loosely packed, grated gruyere, Comte, Emmenthaler or aged Swiss cheese

2.5 cups loosely packed fresh baby spinach

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions

Duck Bacon Spinach Quiche

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until smooth. Then add in the cream, milk salt and pepper.

Stir in half of the duck bacon and cheese. Pour this mixture into the pie crust. Place the spinach on top of the mixture and using a spatula or wooden spoon, gently submerge the spinach with some still peaking out.

Sprinkle the remaining duck bacon and cheese over the top,

Bake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees F. Then turn the oven temperature down to 325 degrees F. and continue baking for about another 55 minutes. There should be a slight wobble to the filling. The filling will puff up during the baking process and then settles down as it cools. Do not over bake! I then turned off my oven, left the door open with the quiche inside for another 10 minutes.

Remove to a wire rack and allow to cool for at least one hour before serving. This can be eaten warm or at room temperature. Serve a crisp salad alongside.

Chocolate Marble Cake

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ 2 Comments
Chocolate Marble Cake

Growing up I had a very Manichean approach to dessert. My favorite cookie was a Black & White. My favorite ice cream was a soft-serve twist of chocolate and vanilla from Carvel. And my favorite cake was Chocolate Marble Cake from our local bakery. In New York, where I lived until I was fourteen, these desserts were ubiquitous. Every good deli and bakery carried the cookie and cake of my dreams. And in those days, a Carvel sign could be seen at most off-ramps all over New York. The truth is, I have never outgrown these loves, although finding really good versions of them in the Midwest is more challenging. So I was VERY excited when I came across this recipe for Black & White Pound Cake using black cocoa powder.

Black Cocoa Powder is what gives Oreos (or Hydrox Cookies, which is what I ate growing up and believe to be superior) their color and unique almost dry chocolate flavor. I had only used Dutch cocoa before. That will work here but the look and flavor will be different. The recipe comes from Sohla El-Waylly, a Food 52 star baker. She is very fun to watch and has several YouTube offerings. Sohla has a slightly funky vibe and a natural charm. I’ve made a few things of hers and the results have always been successful.

Now the one part of this recipe that caused a lot of debate in the comments section was the so-called streusel, which is used in both the middle of the cake and on top. I say so-called because it isn’t really like any other streusel I’ve eaten. It’s quite dry and the whole cake when it comes out of the pan, kind of looks as if it had been rescued from a fire and was covered in coal dust. I know, I know – this doesn’t sound as if I am making a case for the topping. But the funny thing is that as I ate the cake, the not-very-sweet topping grew on me. The part that went in the middle just melted into the cake and was delicious. The stuff on top crumbled off these dark, deep Oreo-like bits which were not overly sweet, but had a certain somethin/somethin.

It would be completely understandable if you chose to leave it off of the top and the cake would be AMAZING. But if you are open to giving it a chance, I would encourage you to do so. Either way, I would definitely use it in the middle of the cake as given in the recipe.

The finished cake when cut is an ever-changing work of art. Each slice is unique in it’s design and all are beautiful. It’s edible modern art, with dark beautiful veins of deliciousness. And while it may appear to be difficult to achieve, it really isn’t. I won’t lie. The cake is a bit fussy, takes a little time and uses several bowls, but there are no special techniques to making this. Just REALLY, REALLY, REALLY read the directions through several times before starting. And I also found that by measuring everything out before I began actually making the cake made things much easier. Yes, it does create more bowls and dishes to wash, but it also means that there is no scrambling to measure and possibly mis-reading things. Directions are crucial here.

I have mentioned it in other posts, but it’s worth saying again. I have become a BIG fan of weighing most of my ingredients when baking. It really is so much more accurate than simply measuring. Kitchen scales are readily available and cost around $25 – money well spent. I have included both measurements and weights where appropriate.

The other thing I learned when making this cake is how transformative long creaming of your butter and sugar can be. Until Sohla, I had never, ever creamed butter and sugar this long. However, I will now never, ever cream butter and sugar anything but this long again! Who knew how light and fluffy the mixture could become? And it is essential that ALL of your ingredients are at room temperature for best results.

Recipe

Chocolate Marble Cake

Yield: One 9 X 5-inch loaf

Ingredients

For the Streusel (Optional)

1 1/4 cup (156 grams) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (100 grams) light brown sugar
1/4 cup (20 grams) black cocoa powder (or Dutched or natural cocoa powder)
3/4 teaspoons kosher salt
6 tablespoons (82 grams) cold butter, cut into cubes

For the Cake

14 tablespoons (196 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for the pan
1 1/4 cup (250 grams) granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
1/2 cup (120 grams) sour cream, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup (187 grams) all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons (15 grams) black cocoa powder (or Dutched or natural cocoa powder)
1 tablespoon milk or water

Chocolate Marble Cake

Directions

For the Streusel

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, cocoa, and salt. Add the cubed
butter and rub the mixture together with your fingers until it comes together into clumps; set aside. [Mine never quite formed clumps and I tend to agree with most of the comments that felt it needed more butter for this to happen. However, it did surprisingly stay together on the cake and when eaten was the texture of a thick Oreo dust. Not especially sweet.]

For the Cake

Set a rack in the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×5-inch metal loaf pan with butter or cooking spray. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment and grease that as well.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar,
baking powder, and kosher salt on medium-high speed until pale and very fluffy, stopping once during
mixing to scrape down the paddle and bowl, 6 to 8 minutes total. (You might think it’s done before that
time, but keep going all the way.)

Scrape down the paddle and sides of the bowl. On medium-high speed, beat in the eggs and yolk one at a
time, scraping down the paddle and the bowl after each addition. The batter should look very fluffy,
creamy, and emulsified (if not, your eggs or butter may have been not at room temperature—let the
mixture come to room temperature then try mixing it again).

Scrape down the paddle and sides of the bowl. In a small bowl, stir together the sour cream and vanilla
until lump-free and totally smooth.

Add half of the sour cream and mix on low until just incorporated, about 15 seconds. Add half of the flour
and mix until just incorporated, about 15 seconds. Repeat with the remaining sour cream and flour. Using
a flexible rubber spatula, scrape down the paddle and the bowl and mix the batter a few times to make sure
everything is evenly combined.

Transfer about half the batter to a medium bowl. Sift over the cocoa powder and stir into the batter along
with the milk or water.

Sifting Black Cocoa

Add half the cocoa batter and half the vanilla batter to the pan in alternating dollops. Top with half the streusel and repeat dolloping the remaining batter.

With a butter knife or offset spatula, swirl the knife through the batter to make sure it is evenly distributed
into the pan with no big air pockets and give the pan a few swift taps against the counter. Wet a butter
knife and use it to slice down the center of the loaf cake (this ensures an even crack right down the middle
of the cake). Top with remaining streusel, lightly pressing it into the batter.

Chocolate Marble Cake

Bake until the crust is deeply browned, the loaf rises and splits, and the cake feels firm and set when you
gently press the top, 65 to 75 minutes. (This is a very moist cake and it is better to overbake rather than
underbake. If the crust is looking very dark partway through, set a wire rack just above the loaf pan and
place a rimmed baking sheet on it to provide a shield.)

Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes, then run an offset spatula or butter knife around the sides to
loosen. Tip the cake into your hand, then place on a wire rack to fully cool before slicing.

Festive Flatbread

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ 1 Comment
Festive Flatbread

Festive Flatbread is as pretty as it is delicious – and it’s riffable! Since my husband retired he has gotten into doing some cooking, much to my delight. He now bakes the best challah, using my recipe, and is branching out to pita, pizzas and other flatbreads, with the occasional curry or stir-fry. The Festive Flatbread is named for the myriad grilled vegetables with all of their beautiful rich colors and flavors. It makes full use of summer’s bounty.

This recipe evolved because I was trying to clean out my vegetable drawer, and has become a favorite dinner for the two of us. We use just a shmear of homemade pesto sauce on the base, but you could also just brush it with a flavored olive oil. There is just a dusting of cheese, which could be left off if you wanted to keep this vegan. However you choose to make this wonderful flatbread just remember that sometimes less is more. Make sure that each element has the best flavors and don’t overdo it.

The shaping is kind of freeform so don’t fret if it isn’t a perfect circle or rectangle. And while we eat this as a dinner for two, if cut into smaller squares, this flatbread would also be a lovely appetizer with a beer or nice glass of wine. The version shown uses zucchini, red pepper, Portobello mushroom, corn and grape tomatoes topped with arugula. It’s a great combination and the Portobello mushrooms give off less liquid than some other mushrooms. But if you have eggplant or other kinds of peppers, use them. Caramelized onion – yummmmm! Even thinly sliced potato would be great. Let your imagination and vegetable drawer rule the results!

We did use the same basic flatbread recipe with a red sauce, pepperoni and cheese for a very thin crust pizza. And while it was delicious, the veggie version remains our favorite.

For other thin crust pizza/flatbreads:

Butternut Squash and Arugula Pizza

Butternut Squash Pizza

I’m going to turn the blog over to my husband now since this is really his handiwork.

Festive Flatbread

In Andrew’s words

Hi! It’s me again, Lisa’s husband, the guy who just recently started learning how to bake and cook. The recipe I’m sharing with you I adapted from Laura Vitale’s Grilled Veggie Flatbread, and it’s a wonderful summer dish, fresh, light, and flavorful.

Interested in my thoughts about learning to cook? Then keep reading.

Not so much? Then skip to the next section. My feelings won’t be hurt.

But I also want to share with you how my attitude about recipes and cooking changed over time. Here’s the thing: I started out knowing almost nothing about cooking, so when I’d watch a YouTube video where the presenter talked about “options” or was vague about some of the details, I’d get really nervous. How exactly am I supposed to cook this dish? What’s being left out that everyone else apparently already knows how to do?

This flatbread recipe is a good example. After I made it a few times I started to understand that you could make it slightly differently, or with different ingredients, and it would still be good. Or the next time I made it I could adjust it to what Lisa and I liked better (e.g. less pesto). So I’ll do things both ways: I’ll highlight how the basic idea of the recipe is simple, allowing you to make changes based on what you like or what vegetables you have on hand that night. But in the photos and descriptions I’ll also describe exactly how I made it, trying to be as simple and specific as possible. OK, on to the recipe!

Recipe

Yield: Dinner for 2 or 4 to 6 as an appetizer

Ingredients

Festive Flatbread

For Flatbread dough

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

    ½ tsp active dry yeast

    ½ tsp granulated sugar

    1 tsp kosher salt

    ½ cup warm water

    ½ tbsp olive oil

For the topping

    1 zucchini or 1/2 of a green and 1/2 of a yellow

    1 red/orange pepper

    1 ear of lightly-cooked corn

    1 large portobello mushroom

    7 cherry or grape tomatoes

    Parmigiano cheese, grated

    Mozzarella cheese, shredded

    baby arugula

    fresh basil leaves

Instructions for those who are more experienced cooks

1. You grill some summer vegetables you have on hand

(You slice them up, toss them in a bowl with some oil, salt, pepper and some thyme or oregano, then put them on a grill and cook them until they start showing some char marks. Then take them off the grill and set them aside.)

2. You partially bake a simple flatbread. The instructions are below.

3. You put some basil pesto (or maybe some flavored olive oil) on top and sprinkle with grated Parmigiano. You put on those delicious vegetables, some oil, some Mozzarella and then pop it back into the oven.

4. After about 5 minutes you take it out, top it with baby arugula and basil leaves and a drizzle of oil. You put it back in the oven for a minute, then take it out, cut it into pieces and serve.

Step by Step Instructions

Place the yeast, sugar, and water in a small bowl. Mix, cover, then let sit for about 5-10 minutes. The yeast should look slightly foamy, showing that it is working. (If you instead used instant yeast you don’t need to proof the yeast.)

Place the flour and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix together. Add the yeast/water mixture and the oil, attach the dough hook and run at medium speed for about 4 minutes. The result should be a smooth, supple dough.

Take out the dough, knead it slightly into a ball. Place it into an oiled bowl and cover. Leave the bowl in a draft-free spot in the kitchen. I like to use the microwave. Let it rise for 1 hour or until doubled. How quickly it rises will depend on how warm your kitchen is.

Now (or even earlier) prepare the vegetables: slice the zucchini into rounds about ¼” thick; slice open the pepper, discard the seeds and stem, chop into 1” pieces; slice the Portobello into strips about ½” thick; leave the corn on the cob; slice the cherry tomatoes in half.

Put all the vegetables in a bowl, sprinkle with salt and pepper, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, dried thyme or oregano, toss all together. Place the vegetables on a hot grill, or on a stove-top grill pan, one layer at a time. Turn them when you see char marks. (Alternatively the vegetables could be cooked in a skillet or even in a 425 degree F oven.)

Place your pizza steel (or stone or upside-down baking sheet) into the oven.

Preheat oven to 485°F

On a lightly floured surface roll out the dough until it is about 3/8 to ¼” thick.

Transfer it to a parchment-covered pizza peel or upside-down baking sheet. Slide it onto the heated pizza steel (or stone or upside-down baking sheet) and let it bake. Use a sharp knife to pop any large bubbles you see forming.

After 5 minutes take it out. It is partially baked.

Lightly brush the flatbread with pesto sauce or flavored EVOO, then sprinkle some grated Parmigiano cheese on top, if using.

Layer the grilled vegetables on top, but leave the cherry tomatoes for later. (Slice the corn kernels off of the cob first!)

Drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle a pinch of salt, then top with shredded Mozzarella (see photos).

Put it back in the oven for about 5 minutes.

Take it out of the oven, add the halved cherry tomatoes, baby arugula, fresh basil leaves, and fresh oregano.

Turn off the oven and put the flatbread back in just to warm up the topping. Keep an eye on it – the baby arugula wilts very fast. Then take it out and serve.

Almond Cardamom Cake

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ 2 Comments
Almond Cardamom Cake

Have you ever noticed that something that you never heard of before is suddenly everywhere? This Almond Cardamom Cake is a prime example. Of course, there have been cake recipes with cardamom and almond. But this particular cake is now all over YouTube and the internet. And it has received all of the expected gushing and ooohs and aaaahs. According to The Guardian, Alice Waters says that is the one recipe that she couldn’t live without. Who am I to contradict Alice Waters, famed chef and owner of Chez Panisse? So when I was looking for something different to bake this week, I decided to try this recipe which first appeared in Niloufer Ichaporia King’s cookbook, My Bombay Kitchen. King got the recipe from a Swedish friend who got it from… well, you get the point. So here we are.

I find it fascinating that a spice so common to South Asian and Middle Eastern cuisine is also prevalent in Scandinavian baking and drinks. You would be hard-pressed to find more different cuisines. While there are a few theories, including the Moors, many believe that Vikings brought cardamom back from Constantinople 1,000 years ago. However these fragrant pods arrived in the chilly north, they have come to define Swedish baking.

This is a simple cake. There is no frou frou. Not a sprinkle, dragee or frosting in sight. And frankly, that is one of the many things that it has going for it in my opinion. It’s an anytime cake. Great for an afternoon break or the perfect dessert after a well-seasoned meal. And equally delicious with your morning coffee or tea. It’s a “no excuses” kind of cake that comes together so quickly and without any fuss. In other words, it’s my kind of cake.

Almond Cardamom Cake is quite easy to make, especially if you buy cardamom already hulled. The only change I made to the recipe was to use jaggery instead of granulated sugar in the cake itself. For those of you who are unfamiliar with jaggery it is a cane sugar used often in South Asia and it lends a caramel taste to the end product. I’ve only recently begun using it and perhaps the novelty will eventually wear off, but it does seem to add a certain somethin’ somethin’ to baked goods. The original recipe calls for granulated sugar so feel free to use that instead. But if you decide to give jaggery a try, it is especially wonderful with apples, in rice pudding or with pineapple and is available through the internet or in Indian grocery stores.

So what is my verdict on this cake? It may not be a show-stopper, but it is a cake that I could gladly eat without ever tiring of it. The inside is fluffy, moist and fragrant. The outside has a lovely sugary crispness, which is enhanced by the sliced almonds. And while there is no citrus in the cake, I found that there were citrusy undertones, which likely come from the cardamom. SO unless you are craving loads of frosting or think that a cake isn’t special without sprinkles, give this delicious cake its due. You’ll be glad that you did.

Recipe

Almond Cardamom Cake

Yield: One 9-inch cake

Ingredients

1.33 cups (264 g) granulated sugar or powdered jaggery, plus more for the pan

Scant 3/4 cup (65g) sliced, unblanched almonds

4 large eggs

1.33 sticks (150 g) unsalted butter

1 Tablespoon (9 g) cardamom seeds

1.33 cups (160 g) all-purpose, unbleached flour

2 pinches of kosher salt

Directions

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Generously butter a 9-inch springform pan. Place a disk of parchment on the bottom of the pan and butter that as well. Then spoon about 2 Tablespoons of granulated sugar into the bottom of the pan. Carefully angle the pan, tapping as you go until the bottom and sides are well coated with the sugar. If there is any excess, just leave it on the bottom.

Cover the bottom of the pan with the sliced almonds.

Almond Cardamom Cake

Using a standing or hand-held mixer, beat the eggs and sugar until tripled in volume and they have reached ribbon stage. This takes between 3 to 5 minutes. You can do this by hand if you have a powerful arm and want a good workout!

Melt the butter in the microwave or in a saucepan. “Bruise” the cardamom seeds using a mortar and pestle or a rolling pin. You don’t want them ground up – just slightly crushed or cracked to release their essence.

Almond Cardamom Cake

Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the flour and salt into the egg mixture, trying not to deflate it too much. Then add the melted butter and cardamom.

Almond Cardamom

Give the batter a good stir through so that everything is well distributed.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and thump the pan on the counter to get out air bubbles.

Bake in the middle of your oven until the top feels dry and springs back when lightly pressed. The original recipe said 30 to 35 minutes, but ovens can vary so much. Mine took about 45 minutes but I also had my springform pan on a baking sheet to catch any drips (there weren’t any). Remove the cake from the oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Then take a thin blade and gently go all around the sides of the pan to make sure that the cake doesn’t stick anywhere. Invert the cake onto a cooling rack and loosen the springform. Remove the ring and carefully take off the bottom. My parchment stuck with the pan, but if it stays with the cake, then gently remove that and allow the cake to cool completely before cutting. It lasts for several days and will become even more flavorful.

For other unfussy but absolutely delicious cakes:

Rye Chocolate Crumb Cake

Orange Semolina Cake

Summer Ricotta Cheesecake

Valentine’s Day Cake

Lemon Semolina Almond Cake

Basbousa (Semolina, Coconut and Pistachio Cake

Maialino’s Olive Oil Cake with Roasted Strawberries

The Juliana

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ Leave a comment
The Juliana

The Juliana is simply the best blueberry pancake bar none that you will ever eat. Not quite a Dutch baby; it doesn’t poof up and then sink. This no-fuss, no-flip skillet-to-oven pancake requires no syrup or other additions. The powdered sugar is for presentation but is not necessary for taste. It’s all there in one pan. Ultimate deliciousness! The Juliana has gone through many iterations to achieve this level of blueberry perfection.

I absolutely love breakfast food for dinner. However, unless I have a full day of hiking ahead of me, I just find most brunch foods too heavy for me to start the day with. But at dinner, I actually almost feel virtuous eating this fruit-forward pancake. And it is so satisfying at every level for me that I never crave any dessert or anything else after eating it. My husband, Andrew, developed this over many months of trial. The recipe began with an Apple Dutch Baby that morphed into this spectacular recipe. My only problem is getting him to stop tinkering with it! Although I do admit that the addition of jaggery in place of granulated sugar in the batter, did take it up a notch. But even without it, this pancake is better than any blueberry pancake or Dutch Baby you will ever eat.

The Juliana

I’m not prone to exaggeration or hyperbole in my posts. Therefore, when I gush about The Juliana (named for our first grandchild) you know it is truly something special. Andrew has successfully made this with strawberries and apples although with a few slight differences, especially since the fruit all cooks differently. The resulting “pancake” is wonderfully spongy, light and fluffy. It is perfect for absorbing all the fruity deliciousness below. And as I mentioned in another post, blueberries have been just wonderful this year. They not only are large and visually attractive but they are firm and very flavorful. They also happen to be our Juliana’s favorite fruit – at least for now. Give this a try. I promise that you won’t be disappointed.

The Juliana

Recipe

Yield: 2 to 4 servings (it should be 4 servings, but if I am honest, my husband and I eat the whole thing ourselves for dinner!)

Ingredients

The Juliana

  For the blueberry filling

    1/3 cup granulated sugar

    Zest of 1 medium lemon

    1 box (18 oz.) of blueberries, rinsed, drained and patted dry

    3 tbsp unsalted butter

  For the batter

    1 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour

    1 tsp baking powder

    1/8 tsp baking soda

    1 tbsp granulated sugar (or 1 tbsp jaggery)

    ½ tsp kosher salt

    ½ tsp ground cardamom

    4 large eggs

    1 cup buttermilk (or 1 cup plain kefir)

    1 tsp vanilla extract

  For serving (optional, but recommended) Sifted confectioner’s or icing sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°F with the rack in the center

Blueberry filling

Place 1/3 cup granulated sugar in a medium bowl. Finely grate the zest of 1 medium lemon onto the sugar. Stir the zest and sugar together; or, rub the zest into the sugar with your fingertips until fully combined and gritty. If no one is watching, then by all means, lick your fingers. Take out 2 tablespoons of the lemon sugar to use later.

Add the blueberries to the bowl and toss to combine. Reserve ½ cup of the sugared blueberries to mix into the batter later.

Batter

1. Place 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/8 tsp baking soda, 1 tbsp granulated sugar (or 1 tbsp jaggery), ½ tsp kosher salt, and ½ tsp ground cardamom in a bowl and whisk to combine.

2. In a different bowl add 4 large eggs and whisk until frothy. Add 1 cup buttermilk (or 1 cup plain kefir) and 1 tsp vanilla extract and whisk to combine.

3. Gently add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring the batter just enough to get everything moist, then gently stir in the reserved ½ cup of sugared blueberries, trying not to break them up.

4. Put a 9” cast iron skillet on the stove on medium heat. Cut 3 tbsp of unsalted butter into 3 pieces and put them into the skillet. Just melt the butter, do not brown it. Immediately add the sugared blueberries, then sprinkle the reserved lemon sugar mixture on top.

5. Pour the batter all over the berries. Place the skillet in the oven, baking at 400°F until puffed and golden-brown, about 20 minutes.

The Juliana

6. Remove and let cool for 5 minutes. Serve dusted with powdered sugar.

The Juliana

Blueberry Streusel Coffeecake

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ Leave a comment
Blueberry Streusel Coffeecake

Normally I wouldn’t make a blueberry recipe in the middle of winter. But with this Blueberry Streusel Coffeecake you can enjoy summer anytime! I don’t know what farmers are doing with blueberries these days, but they have been gorgeous – both beautiful AND delicious. And it is my granddaughter’s favorite food. So I am taking advantage and putting them in everything from my morning oatmeal to Dutch Baby pancakes to coffeecake and yogurt – even salad. But even if you don’t have access to great fresh berries, I have successfully made this with frozen blueberries.

For years, I have been on a quest for the perfect blueberry coffeecake. And I have tried many, many recipes, but while generally okay, they just always disappoint. But I am happy to report that my quest for the perfect blueberry coffeecake with a great streusel topping is finally over! This is it, folks. Perfection – no need to look any further.

I came across this recipe on the King Arthur Baking website and then I “improved” it. By adding lemon zest and doubling the streusel topping (I mean you can’t have enough streusel, right?) my Blueberry Streusel Coffeecake makes a scrumptious treat that can be enjoyed anytime. Have a piece for your morning coffee or tea or as an afternoon pick-me-up. And it’s a lovely addition to any brunch table. But this Blueberry Streusel Coffeecake also makes for a delightful fruity and not heavy dessert when you just want something, but are not sure what. I like to sneak little cubes of it when I think no one is looking. Every bite contains these purply blue beauties that burst in your mouth.

The cake itself is light and yet rich, fragrant with vanilla and lemon and not overly sweet. Just the right amount. And the blueberries just pop! Best of all, it takes no special skills to make. It will come out right the very first time you try it. I think it’s perfect as is, but sprinkling a bit of powdered sugar on top before serving wouldn’t go amiss.

My cake is served straight from the pan. If, however, you wish to take it out for presentation, you will need to grease and line the pan with parchment which you then grease again. This lovely, lovely cake should be a regular in your rotation. It’s that good.

For other delicious berry treats try these:

Maialino’s Olive Oil Cake with Roasted Strawberries

Blueberry Galette

Financier Pastries

Blueberry Muffins

Fresh Blueberry Cobbler

Lemon Berry Bundt Cake

French Toast with Berries (or Challah French Toast)

Mini Berry Tarts

Ricotta Blintzes with Berries

Recipe

Blueberry Streusel Coffeecake

Yield: 9 generous servings

Ingredients

For the Streusel Topping

1/2 cup of granulated sugar

1 cup of unbleached, all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

Generous pinch of kosher salt

8 Tablespoons of unsalted butter at room temperature

For the Cake

2 cups of unbleached, all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons of double acting baking powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

3/4 cup granulated sugar

4 Tablespoons of unsalted butter at room temperature

1 large egg

Zest of one lemon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup of milk ( dairy or non-dairy)

2 cups of fresh or frozen blueberries (If fresh, wash and dry them)

Garnish

Powdered, 10X or icing sugar (Optional)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease and 8-inch or 9-inch square pan. (I prefer to use the 8-inch pan, although I made it with both. Your cake will be a little deeper with the 8-inch, which I prefer.)

Make the streusel topping by combining all of the ingredients and rubbing them together with your fingers or a fork until crumbly. Set aside.

Blend together the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.

In a larger bowl, beat together the sugar, butter, egg, lemon zest and vanilla. Alternately add the milk and the flour mixture. Do not overmix. Add the blueberries and gently mix through. Don’t worry if there is a little bleeding. (If you are using fresh berries that have been dried, toss them with about 1 Tablespoon of your flour mixture. It will prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the cake. This won’t work as well with the frozen berries, but the cake will still be delicious.)

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan.

Blueberry Streusel Coffeecake

Sprinkle the streusel mixture over the entire top and gently press down towards the batter.

Depending on the size of your pan and your oven, bake for between 40 to 50 minutes. The top will be golden, you will see a bit of berry ooze and the smell will be intoxicating. That’s how you know that it is done.

Cool completely before eating. I know, it will be very hard to wait. So at least allow the cake to cool to just warm before cutting.

Rye Chocolate Crumb Cake

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ 4 Comments
Rye Chocolate Crumb Cake

I was guilty of irrational exuberance when it came to ordering rye flour. I had thought that I would be baking LOTS of rye bread. Unfortunately this decision was made before reading the recipes and realizing what making a great rye bread entailed. Consider me chastened. But now what to do with all of this wonderful dark rye flour? So I have been scouring the internet and found this Rye Chocolate Crumb Cake for starters. I also found some rye chocolate cookies that I want to try – another time.

Really, how outlandish is the idea of using rye flour with chocolate? The best dark breads or pumpernickel recipes that I have all use cocoa as a counterpoint to the rye flour. But as a dessert? I was intrigued.

Not being into sickeningly sweet desserts, I liked this recipe immediately. And while normally I shy away from any recipe that requires the use of multiple bowls, I made an exception here. Am I glad that I did. While the initial recipe gave espresso powder as an optional ingredient, I would make it essential. In fact, I would probably use more than the suggested amounts next time. A long time ago, I learned that adding coffee to any chocolate recipe enhances the dark chocolatiness. The rye flour lends a deep malted flavor to the chocolate. And the flavors only intensified over time.

This Rye Chocolate Crumb Cake does not have a fancy presentation. It’s meant to be served straight out of the pan. But give me deliciousness over fancy presentations any day of the week. And honestly, isn’t there a certain homely beauty to the simplicity of this cake? The French even have a term for this – jolie laide. Beautiful ugly – character. The bumpy chocolatey, malty crumb on top of a moist chocolate cake – yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. That to me is jolie laide at its best!

Rye Chocolate Crumb Cake

And yes, I did use a number of bowls but clean-up was very fast even without using a dishwasher. This lovely, moist, densely malted chocolate cake will keep for several days stored at room temperature. Assuming, of course, that it manages to last that long. While this is technically a coffee cake, I am happy to serve it as a delicious dessert anytime. Or for breakfast. Why not?

Rye flour comes in different degrees – light, medium and dark. Whenever given options like that e.g. dark brown vs. light brown sugar; dark, full-flavored molasses vs. light, I invariably go for the darker variety. And so I did here. I only bought dark rye and so that is what I used. The original recipe called for medium rye. Go with what you have.

Rye Chocolate Crumb Cake

I used sour cream because I had it and it makes for a lovely, moist cake, but you could substitute yogurt (whole milk or 2%) if that is what you have on hand instead. Whatever you do, do not cheap out on the cocoa. In fact NEVER EVER buy anything but top quality Dutch-process cocoa. Just don’t.

Serve this Rye Chocolate Crumb Cake as is or with a dollop of good vanilla ice cream or homemade whipped cream. You simply can’t go wrong.

NOTE: I give both weights and measurements. In the past year, I have become accustomed to weighing out my ingredients when given that choice in the recipe. I find that it is more accurate and once you get used to doing it, you will find it quite simple. However, knowing that Americans in particular use measurements, I have included those as well. When weighing flour, spoon the flour without packing it and sweep off any excess.

For other Coffee Cake Recipes:

Moravian Coffee Cake

Italian Walnut and Raisin Coffee Cake

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Apricot Almond Cake

Recipe

Rye Chocolate Crumb Cake

Yield: 6 to 9 pieces

Ingredients

Topping

1/4 cup (27g) rye flour (I used dark but medium is fine too)

1/2 cup (60g) unbleached all-purpose flour

1/3 cup (66g) granulated sugar

3 T (16g) Dutch-process cocoa

1/4 teaspoon kosher or sea salt

1/4 teaspoon espresso powder (or instant espresso)

4 T (57g) unsalted butter, melted

Cake

1 cup (106g) rye flour

1/2 cup (60g) unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 cup (42g) Dutch-process cocoa

3/4 teaspoon kosher or sea salt

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon espresso powder (or instant espresso)

4 T (57g) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/4 cup (50g) neutral vegetable oil (I used Canola)

1 cup (198g) granulated sugar

1 T pure vanilla extract

2 large eggs at room temperature

3/4 cup (170g) full-fat sour cream or Greek-style yogurt

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease an 8-inch square pan

For the topping

Whisk together the flours in a small bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugar, cocoa, salt and espresso powder. Pour the melted butter over the sugar mixture and stir until smooth. Add the flour to this mixture and stir until uniformly moist. (In full disclosure, I had added my cocoa into my flour mixture instead of with the sugar. As far as I can tell, it made no difference.) Set aside until ready to use.

For the cake

Whisk together the flours, cocoa, salt, baking powder, baking soda and espresso powder and set aside.

In the bowl of a standing mixer (you could use a hand mixer as well), beat the butter, oil, sugar and vanilla until smooth, light colored and fluffy on medium speed. This takes about 5 minutes.

Add the eggs one at a time, beating well and scraping down the sides of the bowl.

Add one-third of the flour mixture and beat gently to combine. Mix in 1/2 of the sour cream. Then add the next third of the dry mixture and combine. Add the final 1/2 of the sour cream and mix through. Then add the remaining third of the dry ingredients. Scrape down the bowl and beat until the batter is smooth and everything is fully incoporated.

Spread the batter into the prepared pan and crumble the topping all over. Gently press the topping into the batter.

Bake 36 to 46 minutes (all ovens vary but it is ready when a toothpick just comes out clean). Do not over-bake the cake.

Allow to cool completely and then dust the top with confectioner’s (icing) sugar. Serve from the pan.

Rye Chocolate Crumb Cake