Holidays

Gremshelish – Dutch Sweet Matza Fritters

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ Leave a comment

Passover pancakes

Of course my family and I love matza brei, that wonderful cross between an omelette and French toast, but I was looking for something a little different and came across this recipe a few years ago. They are light and have a sweetness from the raisins soaked in sweet wine, but are not too sweet since I also add the juice of a lemon. They don’t require anything more then a bit of cinnamon sugar or powdered sugar on top.Matthew can sit down and devour a dozen of these in a sitting, but most people will eat half of that amount. Thankfully, Matthew takes after his father and is tall and very slim so Frances and I get to cook to our hearts content without worrying about making our men fat!

Gremshelish – Dutch Matzah Fritters adapted from The Jewish Holiday Cookbook by Gloria Kaufer Greene

Yield: About 30 2.5-inch fritters; 5-6 servings

Ingredients

4.5 standard-size square matzot

3 large eggs, separated

3/4 cups finely chopped walnuts or almonds

1 cup light or dark raisins, just covered in gucky sweet Kosher wine or dessert wine for at least four hours or overnight

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

juice of 1/2 a lemon plus more to spray over the finished pancake

Grated zest of one lemon

3 Tablespoon matzah cake meal

Pinch of Kosher Salt

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar or 1/2 teaspoon of distilled white vinegar

3 Tablespoons vegetable oil

More oil for frying

Cinnamon sugar or confectioners sugar for dusting as a garnish

Directions

  1. In a medium sized bowl, break up the matzot into small pieces and cover them with cold water. Let them soak for about 15 minutes or until very soft. Drain the matzot well and using your hands, squeeze out all excess water.
  2. Mash the matzot with a fork until they are completely crushed. Then mix in the egg yolks, nuts, raisins, oil, cinnamon, lemon juice, salt, zest and cake meal. IMG_1458
  3.  In a separate bowl (I use my standing mixer or you could use a hand mixer), beat the egg whites until foamy. Then add either the vinegar OR the cream of tartar and continue whipping on high until stiff peaks have formed. You know it is ready when you lift the beater and the egg whited don’t fall off.
  4. take a 1/4 cup of the whites and stir them through the matzah mixture to lighten the batter and then carefully fold through the remaining egg whites. IMG_1460
  5. In a large skillet (I like cast iron, but use what you have), heat oil that is about 1/8 to 1/4 inch deep on medium high heat.
  6. Drop generous tablespoonfuls of the batter into the oil. I used a cookie scoop which made it very easy and kept the size pretty even. Fry the fritters until they are brown on both sides, turning them once. You can keep the fritters warm in the oven on a cookie sheet while you continue making the remaining fritters. While they are on the cookie sheet or just before serving, squeeze a little additional lemon juice on top and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar or sift confectioners sugar over the top.

Egyptian Ground Fish Balls – Bellahat

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ 2 Comments

fish balls on platter with garnish

I have never loved gefilte fish – even when it is homemade – but I wanted a fish first course and this recipe caught my eye. Egyptian Jews make it for holidays, including Shabbat meals. I made it for the first time last year and it was huge hit, so I made it again this year. The key is finding a fish monger with beautiful fresh fish, who will grind it up for you and fresh herbs and spices. You can grind the fish yourself but having someone else do it makes this dish pretty easy to make. Any leftovers make terrific lunches for the rest of the week. Frances has already placed her “order” for her flight home, which unfortunately is tomorrow. These are best made a day ahead so the Bellahat can absorb the flavors of the wonderfully savory sauce. Because I know my audience, I make these flavorful, but not too hot. I have recently discovered the joys and wonder of Aleppo pepper, which is a sweet, savory hot pepper that never overwhelms. I made lavish use of it this Passover, and will make sure that this is now a staple in my spice pantry.

Egyptian Ground Fish Balls with Tomato and Cumin (Bellahat) from Jayne Cohen’s Jewish Holiday Cooking.

Yield: About 8 servings, but can easily be doubled

Ingredients

For the Fish Balls

1.5 pounds (net) of a non-oily white-fleshed fish like flounder, cod, sea bass, snapper or grouper (I used Red Snapper) with the skin and bones removed and finely ground

1/2 cup matza meal

2 large eggs

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

1 Tablespoon minced garlic

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoon Kosher salt

Aleppo pepper (or cayenne if you want it really hot) to taste

2 Tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

2 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro

For the Sauce

1 Tablespoon finely chopped garlic

3 Tablespoons EVOO

One 28 ounce can of San Marzano or other high quality whole tomatoes, with their juice and broken up

NOTE: (You can make this with fresh plum tomatoes and sweet red and yellow peppers, but I try to put my efforts where it really makes a significant difference. And if the plum tomatoes are not in season from a farmer’s market, don’t even bother.)

Kosher salt and more Aleppo Pepper

Juice of one large lemon

Soft-leaf lettuce for serving

Chopped fresh cilantro or parsley or lemon wedges for garnish

Directions

  1. I make my sauce first.In a large heavy saute pan or deep skillet, warm the garlic in 2 Tablespoons of EVOO until fragrant but not brown.
  2. Add the tomatoes and their juice, salt and pepper to taste. Cook over moderately high heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes are broken up and the sauce has thickened.
  3. Stir in the remaining 1 Tablespoon of EVOO and the lemon juice. fish balls adding lemon to tomato baseTurn off the heat while you make the fish balls.
  4. In a food processor or by hand, combine the finely ground fish with all of the other ingredients and either pulse until well-combined or mix thoroughly with your hands.fish balls after mixing
  5. With hands moistened in cold water, shape the mixture into 16 slightly flattened ovoids, using about a 1/4 cup for each.
  6. Turn the heat on under the sauce and add the fish balls directly into the sauce. fish balls simmering in paella panWhen all of the fish balls are nestled in the sauce, bring the sauce to a simmer on a low heat. Cover the pan and cook the fish balls for 20-25 minutes until the fish balls are firm and cooked through, turning them once. Turn off the heat and adjust any seasonings of the sauce. Allow the fish balls to cool in the sauce and refigerate over night or up to 48 hours.
  7. Serve on a platter or individual plates with the lettuce leaves, the fish balls and sauce and sprinkled with chopped parsley or cilantro.

NOTE: I like a slightly chunky sauce, but if you prefer a smooth one, remove the fish balls from the sauce before serving and using an immersion blender, puree until smooth.

 

Chocolate Chip Vegan Meringue Buttons for Passover

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ 1 Comment

chocolate meringue platedThis cookie is a crispy, airy chocolatey delight that crumbles and melts in your mouth on contact. I admit that I have never been a huge meringue fan. I like the idea of meringue but the egg white is my least favorite part of the egg and let’s face it, that’s what meringue is. However, by making this vegan, most of that egg whitiness that I dislike just doesn’t seem to be there. Since aquafaba reacts like egg whites when making meringue, my feelings might just be purely psychological, but there you go. Give these a try for Passover.

Chocolate Chip Vegan Meringue Buttons for Passover adapted from Egg Farmers of Ontario

Yield:

Ingredients

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons potato starch

Aquafaba from one 15 ounce can of chickpeas that have been drained

1/2 teaspoon of distilled white vinegar or cream of tartar

1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

3 Tablespoons unsweetened, Dutch process cocoa powder

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together sugar and potato starch and set aside
  3. In the bowl of a standing mixer, beat the aquafaba on medium until foamy. Add in the vinegar OR cream of tartar and vanilla bean paste and continue beating on medium until soft peaks form. On high speed, add in sugar 1 Tablespoon at a time (I am serious – 1 T at a time) and beat until stiff, glossy peaks form.
  4. Using a spatula, gently fold in the chocolate chips and cocoa powder, just until blended. The meringue will deflate some.
  5. Drop by tablespoonfuls, about 1 inch apart, onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 30 minutes or until cookies are dry to the touch, rotating pans halfway through. Don’t try this on a humid day.
  6. Remove parchment and cookies from baking sheets and place on cooling racks. Cool completely and then carefully peel off of the parchment. Store in airtight containers. These would be great crumbled over ice cream or “fool.”

 

Passover Almond Coconut Macaroons

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ 2 Comments

platedPlease don’t buy those macaroons from a tin. It really is very easy to make your own and the difference is quite extraordinary. No longer will macaroons be the butt of jokes the way that fruit cake is in December. And of course, when you make your own, you can opt to decorate them by dipping part in chocolate or leaving them pure. Last year I read a recipe for a cinnamon almond macaroon in the Off Duty section of the weekend Wall Street Journal. Somehow cinnamon just didn’t sit right with me and when I was making them, I simply skipped that step. I think I made the right decision, but feel free to add it back if you like. After you taste these, there won’t be any more jokes about macaroons surviving the apocolypse. This year I am making these vegan, substituting aquafaba for egg whites so my godson can eat them since he is allergic to eggs.

Almond Coconut Macaroons adapted from Leah Koenig

Yield: About 2 dozen cookies

Ingredients

3 large egg whites OR liquid from one 15.5 ounce can of chickpeas that have been drained (this is aquafaba) See note.

¼ teaspoon Kosher salt

⅔ cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon almond extract

2¼ cups coarsely shredded unsweetened coconut

½ cup sliced almonds

Ground cinnamon, for dusting (optional)

Directions

1. Line two large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a medium saucepan, stir together egg whites, salt, sugar, vanilla and almond extract until combined. Set saucepan over low heat, stir in coconut and almonds, and cook, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens slightly and turns sticky, 5-6 minutes. Transfer mixture to a large bowl and let stand, uncovered, 20 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 325 degrees.

3. Mound slightly rounded tablespoons of batter onto prepared baking sheets, moistening your fingers with water if mixture is sticking. forming

Bake, rotating the baking sheets halfway through cooking time, until macaroons are golden around edges, 20-25 minutes total. (Be careful not to overbake as cookies will continue to firm up while they cool.) Carefully transfer to wire racks to cool completely. If desired, once cool, dust lightly with cinnamon, leave as is or dip the tops in melted chocolate.  Store in an airtight container.

NOTE: I accidentally opened a can of cannellini beans instead of chickpeas, but decided to use the liquid anyway to see what would happen. It worked perfectly! I ended up only baking these for 22 minutes, turning the pan once.

Passover Florentine Cookies

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ 5 Comments

April 7, 2017 Update:florentines_4_finished_product

I decided to try making these with aquafaba this year instead of egg whites and the result was delicious. So if you have people with egg allergies who are following the new guidelines of the Conservative Rabbinate or who follow Sephardic traditions, they can now enjoy this wonderful Passover treat. Simply substitute 1/4 cup of aquafaba, lightly beaten with a fork for the egg whites in the recipe below. They will spread more so do not flatten the cookies before baking. (Aquafaba is the liquid that chickpeas are stored in. Just strain out the chickpeas and use the liquid.)

I refuse to buy canned macaroons or box mixes of brownies during Passover. I confess that before I found good cookie recipes I did augment my flourless cakes with the canned macaroons – but I know better now. Florentine cookies are a great way to start since they look beautiful, taste great and are incredibly easy to make. They are Frances’ favorite and while good enough to eat all year, I save them for Passover so they stay special. Let your inner Jackson Pollack come out when it comes to adding the chocolate. Let your children in on the fun and see how creative they can be.

Passover Florentine Cookies from Grandma Doralee Patinkin’s Holiday Cookbook

Yield: About 30 cookies

Ingredients

2.5 cups sliced almonds with skins

1 cup granulated sugar

1 stick (1/4 pound) butter or buttery vegan sticks, melted

5 Tablespoons Matzah Cake Meal

2 large egg whites, slightly beaten

dash of Kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 ounces bittersweet chocolate (I like the Elite brand which is Kosher for Passover)

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with baking parchment
  2. In a large bowl, toss almonds, cake meal, salt and sugar together. Stir in the melted butter, vanilla and egg whites until well blended.
  3. Drop by tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets.
  4. Bake one sheet at a time for about 18 minutes or until golden brown around the edges and bottom. Ovens vary so watch them after 15 minutes so they don’t burn.
  5. Remove the parchment to a wire rack to cool completely.
  6. When completely cool, you are ready to decorate. Melt your chocolate over a double boiler or in a glass bowl in a microwave (I do this in 10 second increments so as not to burn the chocolate). When the chocoalte will drip off of a fork, you are ready to get creative. There is no wrong or right way to do this and some people might prefer to dip half of the Florentine into the chocolate instead.
  7. If using the fork method, dip the fork in the chocolate and working quickly, hold it about 8 to 12 inches above the cookie and move it back and forth over the cookies creating an attractive pattern.

    Allow the chocolate to completely harden before packing these up or serving. They will keep well in an airtight container. You can also make them ahead and add the chocolate the day you will be serving them  if you prefer. However, if packed in a good tin, nestled on top of waxed paper or parchment, the chocolate will be fine as long as they are stored in a cool place. Do not refrigerate!

Note: When I make Raspberry Fool for dessert one night during the interim days of Pesach, these cookies are a wonderful accompaniment. It’s a wonderful dessert that is elegant and delicious with a main course of fish. Some people will be appalled that I use heavy cream in that dessert so rather than spoiling it for the rest of us, just skip that recipe!

Passover Orange Ginger Spice Cookies

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ 2 Comments

ginger_spice_7_ready_to_eat
Well, it’s begun. I have chosen my recipes, ordered my meats, groceries, wine and shmura matzah. Now it’s time to begin baking. Some of the cookies are best made just a day or two ahead, but these cookies will easily last a month in a tin with a tight-fitting lid. They are a personal favorite of mine and serve as a nice foil to the very sweet almond and coconut cookies I make. I especially love the spice cookies with coffee in the morning.  They are nice and gingery with a pleasant spiciness that gets just a bit of a kick from the cracked black pepper that I add.

Orange Ginger Spice Cookies adapted from Passover Desserts by Penny W. Eisenberg

Yields: 2 dozen cookies

Ingredients

1 1/3 cups granulated white sugar

2 Tablespoons potato starch

12 Tablespoons (1.5 sticks) unsalted butter or buttery vegan sticks, at room temperature

1 Tablespoon dried ground ginger

1 rounded teaspoon ground cinnamon

About 5-6 cracks of fresh black pepper

Dash of Kosher salt

2 Tablespoons plus a little more as needed of fresh orange juice

2 large egg yolks, at room temperature (See Note)

1 1/3 cups matzah cake meal

Additional granulated sugar mixed with a little cinnamon for rolling the cookies in (about 1/3 to 1/2 cup with about 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon)

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
  2. Line 2 heavy-duty baking pans with parchment
  3. Place the sugar and potato starch in the bowl of a food processor along with the ginger and cinnamon. Pulse until everything is finely ground and well mixed. Add the butter or margarine, orange juice and the egg yolks and process until well blended.
  4. Add the matzah cake meal 1/3 cup at at time and pulse until well mixed. If the dough falls apart when you try to form a ball, add more orange juice 1 teaspoon at a time until it will stay together when rolled in your hands.
  5. Shape the dough into balls that are about 1.5 inches in diameter and roll each ball in the cinnamon sugar mixture and place on the cookie sheet lined with parchment. ginger_spice_1_forming_the_doughginger_spice_2_rolled_in_sugarginger_spice_3_ready_to_bakeginger_spice_4_in_the_oven
  6. Place in the oven and bake for 11 minutes. Then remove the pan from the oven and using a water glass that is about 3 inches in diameter, gently press down on the now softened dough ball to make a flat cookie with a slightly crackly edge. ginger_spice_5_flattening_after_bakingginger_spice_6_after_flattening


    Return the pan to the oven and bake about 9 more minutes or until lightly browned. Remove the parchment to wire racks and cool completely. Store in an air tight container.

Note: Save your egg whites to make the Almond Florentine Cookies – recipe to follow.

Lisa’s Fudge

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ Leave a comment

I’m not even going to pretend that there are any health-related redeeming qualities to this out of this world fudge – and you shouldn’t either. But whereas most fudge simply makes my teeth ache with its overwhelming, cloying sweetness my fudge is rich and decadent with a wonderful pure dark chocolate taste. It took me several years of trial an error to get just the right balance. Unlike plain dark chocolate, which I love, this is undoubtedly fudge, with that special fudge mouth-feel. When my son was younger he didn’t like nuts so I left them out, but my preference is to include them. I leave it to you to decide if you want to include them or not.

Because my fudge is so rich, I either need to think ahead and make it a couple of weeks before I wish to serve it so it will “cure” a bit and harden up which makes cutting it easier OR it will need to be refrigerated. The only problem with the latter is you will lose the sheen of the chocolate. The taste will not be affected. If you can store it in a dark, cool place and manage not to eat it, I definitely recommend that method. I did actually take a “test” piece last night and it was dreamy, but still a bit soft for best serving. Either way, it is a slightly more sophisticated take on fudge.

fudge

Lisa’s Fudge

Yield: It will entirely depend on how you cut your pieces, but it is quite rich, so I would keep them small. I wouldn’t think getting 36 pieces is out of the realm of possibility, but there is no judgment here, so if you only get 12 I promise not to tell.

Ingredients

1.5 cups of granulated white sugar

2 Tablespoons Devonshire cream or Mascarpone

6 oz. bittersweet chocolate (about 64% cacao)

6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate

1 jar Marshmallow crème/fluff (about 7 ounces – a little more or less won’t matter)

4 oz. unsalted butter

1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 teaspoons strong coffee

1 cup walnuts, broken into good sized pieces

Directions

  1. Generously grease an 8-inch square pan with either butter or cooking spray
  2. In a heavy-bottomed medium pot, bring the first 6 ingredients to a boil on medium heat, stirring occasionally
  3. As soon as it begins to boil, stir constantly and boil for 5 minutes.
  4. After 5 minutes of boiling, turn off the heat and stir through the last 4 ingredients. When everything is well combined, pour the mixture into the prepared pan and allow to cool completely on a wire rack. Once it has completely cooled, cover the pan and put in a cool dark place. Try to forget about it until you are ready to cut your pieces. Then cut and place your pieces in paper or foil candy cups and store in a tin.

Mine isn’t totally ready to cut yet so my photo is only of the fudge in the pan. When I have it cut, I’ll add a photo later. But I know that some of you might want to have this for the holidays, so I want to get this recipe out there now.

Let’s Talk Turkey

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ 1 Comment

Turkey

Believe it or not, we are only four weeks away from Thanksgiving – my absolute favorite holiday to cook and bake for. Every year I have to decide how much I will play with my menu from previous years. Everyone has their favorites. I’m also excited because Matthew and Frances are coming to join us along with the other family members. We will be four generations!

I admit that I go a little crazy for Thanksgiving. I have been collecting turkey decorations for years and they are everywhere from place cards to candle holders to straw and wooden turkeys. And a year ago, I treated myself to the wonderful Staub covered pumpkin soup bowls and soup tureen. I know, I know, but I simply couldn’t resist. And while my kitchen is small, I am blessed with a wonderful storage room.

I’ve been working on my menu, which has to factor in that some people keep Kosher and that my godson/great nephew is allergic to eggs. This is what I have come up with so far:

Roasted turkey

Thanksgiving 2015 Menu

Vegan Curried Butternut Squash Soup

Roasted, fresh-killed turkey

Raw turnip, carrot, apple walnut salad

Gingerbread

Cheesy Cornbread OR Vegan Corn Muffins

_MG_6144

Sally Lunn Bread (for breakfast the next day)

Carrot and Rutabaga Puree OR Sweet Potato Puree with Orange

_MG_6194

Brussel Sprouts OR Green Beans OR Neither

Cranberry Chutney

Stuffing with chestnuts (out of the bird)

_MG_6191

Truett-Hurst Zinfandel

Vegan Pumpkin Pie

_MG_6196

Bourbon Pecan Pie   _MG_6190

Amish Apple Streusel Pie   _MG_6189

Dessert Wine

_MG_6131

Some of these things may change, but you get the idea. I’ll provide recipes for some of these over the next 4 weeks, but I won’t always have photos until after the holiday. Because my fridge isn’t enormous, I always pray for REALLY cold weather so I can use my terrace as an additional fridge. I’m probably violating 2 or 3 condo rules, but thankfully no one can see…. And I’m very good about keeping all of the other rules.

Lemon-Sour Cherry Pound Cake

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ Leave a comment

IMAG0759_1When I have a day off, I like to indulge my love of baking – and I worry about who will eat it later…. A few thanksgivings ago, I found this recipe for a lemon cranberry pound cake and it was wonderful. The recipe, from the Joy of Baking, said that you could also use dried cherries and since I happen to have some lovely cherries from Nuts.com, I’m going with that today. The end product is a beautiful cake, bright with the tang of lemon and either the dried cranberries or sour cherries. It’s wonderful for a buffet and lasts for days, with the flavors intensifying, if well wrapped. It’s so pretty that I like to display it in my domed cake stand. And while I do not have a freezer large enough, you could make this ahead, except for the glaze, and freeze it in preparation for the holidays. Yep, it’s almost that time already.

Lemon – Sour Cherry Pound Cake taken from the Joy of Baking

Yield: 12 – 14 servings

Ingredients       Lemon pound cake ingredients

Dried sour cherries or cranberries

1/3 cup lemon juice

2 Tablespoons brandy

1 cup dried cranberries or sour cherries

Cake

2.5 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature

3 cups granulated sugar

6 large eggs at room temperature

2 Tablespoons lemon zest

1/2 Tablspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt

Lemon Frosting (optional)

1 cup confectioner’s sugar

2 Tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice

Directions

For Cranberries/Cherries

  1. Bring the brandy, lemon juice and cranberries/cherries to a boil in a small saucepan over medium high heat. Cover the pan and remove from the heat. Allow the mixture to cool completely, reserving the cranberries/cherries and the liquid separately.

For the Pound Cake

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Generously butter and flour a 10 inch bundt pan. If using a dark colored pan, reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda and salt together.
  3. In the bowl of a standing mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the lemon zest, vanilla and eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
  4. With the mixer on low, add 1/3 of the flour mixture, alternating with 1/2 of the sour cream, beating just until the batter is smooth.
  5. Stir in the drained cranberries/cherries by hand.
  6. Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan and smooth the top.  lemon pound cake ready for oven
  7. Bake for approx. 60 – 75 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into themiddle of the cake comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
  8. Remove from the oven and place on a rack to cool. After 5 minutes, lightly brush the top of the cake (it’s really the bottom) with half of the reserved liquid from the cranberries/cherries.
  9. After 10 more minutes, loosen the sides of the pan with a sharp knife and invert onto a wire rack. Immediately brush the top and sides of the cake with the remaining cranberry/cherry liquid. Cool the cake completely before frosting or dusting with powdered sugar.

Lemon Frosting  IMAG0755

  1. In a bowl, using a whisk, combine the confectioner’s sugar with the lemon juice. You want the icing to be thicker than a glaze but still thin enough that it will run down the sides of the cake. If necessary, add more lemon juice or powdered sugar accordingly.
  2. Pour the frosting over the top of the cake, allowing the icing to drip down the sides. Allow the icing to dry completely before covering and storing the cake.

Apple Cake – Take 2

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ 2 Comments

apple cake

Frances and I always tell each other what we are making and recipes that we discovered. We send each other photos and our respective husbands drool. So when I heard that Frances was making an apple cake for the holidays, I decided that it sounded like a good idea. Mine is adapted from the Smitten Kitchen Cookbook by Deb Perelman. Frances turned me on to her website about a year ago and she is often a fun read for me when work is less than exciting. I have to admit that I prefer reading her blog than making her recipes, but I already knew that Frances had made this cake with great success. Since I am almost incapable of NOT changing a recipe, I made several tweaks – and one BIG mistake, which turned out to be actually quite a good discovery. Here is my version.

Apple Cake – adapted from Deb Perelman’s Smitten Kitchen Cookbook

Yield: 12 – 16 servings

Ingredients

6 baking apples like MacIntosh, peeled, cored and cut into 1/2 to 3/4 inch cubes ( I happened to be at the Farmer’s Market, so was able to purchase some heirloom baking variety apple to use)

1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon

2 cups plus 5 Tablespoons granulated sugar (See NOTE below. You can use less sugar if you want. I would think that 1.5 cups is perfect plus the 5 Tablespoons)

2.5 cups all purpose unbleached flour

1/4 cup toasted wheat germ (I like Kretschmer’s)

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

1 cup Canola oil

1/4 cup orange juice

2.5 teaspoons vanilla bean paste

2 Tablespoons brandy or cognac

Zest of one orange

4 large eggs

1 cup walnuts, chopped

Confectioner’s sugar for sifting over the top

Directions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and generously butter or coat with nonstick spray a 10 inch tube pan with straight sides (think Angel Food cake pan).
  2. Peel, core and chop the apples and toss them with the cinnamon and 5 Tablespoons of the granulated sugar. Add the orange zest.
  3. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Then add the wheat germ, which won’t go through the sifter. In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, orange juice, remaining 1/4 cup of sugar, vanilla bean paste, brandy and eggs.
  4. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ones, scraping down the bowl to make sure that everything is thoroughly combined. Stir in the walnuts.
  5. Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan. Spread half of the apple chunks over it. Pour the remaining batter over the apples and arrange the remaining apples on top. Bake for about 1.5 hours or until the tester comes out clean. You can learn to smell when baked goods are ready. Set your timer, but try seeing if you can smell when the cake is done. It’s a good skill to learn because every oven is different and timing can be off.
  6. When the cake is finished, transfer it to a rack to cool completely. When it is completely cool you can flip it out of the pan and then over onto a serving platter with the apples facing down. Dust with confectioner’s sugar. This cake will get moister as it ages. It will last for about 3 days if covered.

NOTE: I have a confession to make. I got distracted when I was making the cake and only realized AFTER I had put everything nicely into the pan that I had forgotten to add the 2 cups of sugar to the batter. I didn’t panic and I didn’t want to lose the good ingredients or time I had already put into it. I suppose I could have taken everything out of the pan and mixed the apples through the cake along with the sugar, but I didn’t. I took 1/4 cup of sugar and evenly poured it over the top layer of apples. I then hoped for the best. The result was delicious apple bread. There was extra sweetness from the confectioners sugar on top. Cake would need to be somewhat sweeter in my opinion, but the texture and look was wonderful. My husband had the great idea of using Frances’ baked French toast recipe using the apple cake in place of the challah and adding 1/2 cup of raisins (no blueberries) to the mix. The point is, stuff happens – even with people who cook and bake a LOT. Don’t panic – think it through. Sometimes the experiment is great – sometimes not.

slice of apple cake