Birthday Ritual

As the family pastry gal, I am always eager for the challenge of a birthday. I always require that the Birthday Boy/Girl choose their favorite cake or sweet to celebrate their day. This time it was Sean's birthday and of course he had to pick something with either lots of food coloring or sprinkles... if he had it his way, he would pick both and then flavor it with mango. (Let's just say he still has the palate of a 6 yr old.)

His choice this year... Red Velvet Cake.

I have made this one other time and found it to be remarkably adaptable for the non-egg eaters that I am surrounded by. I adapted this recipe found on epicurious.com (a gem of a recipe-finder).

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/RED-VELVET-CAKE-WITH-RASPBERRIES-AND-BLUEBERRIES-108256

The modifications I made are as follows.

1. Instead of the eggs, I used 2T of apple sauce for each.
2. No berries.

I would have liked to use berries, however they were Remarkably overpriced at Randall's (get it!). Also, I would recommend using a little bit of egg-replacer if you try this one out, because the cake, while incredibly moist, was a bit on the dense side. I thought that it was also a little too sweet, but that is the way that Sean likes it and he was very happy with the outcome. He actually ate most of it over the course of the week. The icing recipe was terrific and I will definitely use that again for other creations.

Pictures to be posted in the next few days... (Waiting for camera to recharge)

Chocolate Bit Butter Cookies

These cookies are a perfect retreat from the day to day: tasty, buttery and light, they encourage you to slow down and have a snack. Adapted from 101 Cookbooks. Instead of rolling these into a log and cutting, also try chilling them in discs, rolling them out and cutting them into shapes. Just make sure they're still 1/4 inch thick.

Chocolate Bit Butter Cookies

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup dark chocolate, coarsely chopped to be just smaller than chocolate chips
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Whisk the all-purpose and whole wheat flours together in a medium bowl. Set aside. In a medium bowl, with the back of a large spoon or with an electric mixer, beat the butter with the sugar and salt for about 1 minute, until smooth and creamy but not fluffy. Mix in the chocolate bits and vanilla. Add the flours and mix just until incorporated. Scrape the dough into a mass and, if necessary, knead it with your hands a few times, just until smooth.

Form the dough into a 12 by 2 inch log. Wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or, preferably overnight.

Position the racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Line the baking sheets with parchment paper.

Use a sharp knife to cut the cold dough log into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Place the cookies at least 1 1/2 inches apart on the baking sheets.

Bake until the cookies are just beginning to color at the edges, 12 to 14 minutes, rotating the baking sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through the baking. Cool the cookies in the pans on a rack, or slide the parchment liners carefully onto the rack to free up the pans. Let cool completely. The cookies are delicious fresh but even better the next day. They can be stored in an airtight container forever.

Makes forty-eight 2 1/2-inch cookies.

Lemon Yogurt Poppyseed Cake

I snagged this golden recipe from Smitten Kitchen, one of my favorite food blogs these days. The beauty of this recipe lies in its flexibility, its superb use of yogurt and its stunning color. The zest of the citrus fruit you're using (in my case, Meyer lemons) goes into the batter but the juice is saved to make a glaze with for pouring on top of the cake just as it comes out of the oven. When you bite into the moist yogurty citrusy goodness, your tongue's also met with the subtle tasty sweetness from the glaze. It's just amazing.

Substitute the lemon for any other citrus (blood oranges, grapefruit, lime) and poppyseeds for a fruit filling (blueberries, raspberries) and you've got a new brunch dish every week. It might even be interesting with almond slivers.

Lemon Yogurt Poppyseed Cake
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen, who adapted it from Ina Garten

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (+ 1 tablespoon if you’re adding fruit)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt (I used Erivan yogurt, could also use Greek for a different texture)
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
3 extra-large eggs
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (approximately 2 lemons)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup poppyseeds
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

If using fruit: 1 1/2 cups berries, fresh or frozen, thawed and rinsed (miniature wild blueberries are great for this, and pose the least risk of sinking)

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

Sift together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking powder, and salt into 1 bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, 1 cup sugar, the eggs, lemon zest, vanilla and oil. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. If adding berries, mix them with the remaining tablespoon of flour, and fold them very gently into the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 50 (+) minutes, or until a cake tester placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Meanwhile, cook the 1/3 cup lemon juice and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar in a small pan until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside.

When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before flipping out onto a cooling rack. Carefully place on a baking rack over a sheet pan. While the cake is still warm, pour the lemon-sugar mixture over the cake and allow it to soak in (a pastry brush works great for this, as does using a toothpick to make tiny holes that draw the syrup in better).

Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Tried and True Vegan Chocolate Cake Recipe

This one is a staple in the Moore and now Hufford families. It is good plain or iced. It isn't super rich -- kind of a light, refreshing cake.

3 c flour

2 c sugar

2 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp salt

2 tbs coco (I do more like 3-4 to punch it up)

2 c water

3/4 c melted butter (richer, but not vegan) or veg oil

2 tbs vinegar

2 tsp vanilla

Sift and mix dry ingredients in a bowl. Make a divot and then add in the wet ingredients and mix with a fork. Pour into 9x13" cake pan (or similar volume) that has been sprayed with Pam or butter-greased. Bake at 350 for 50 mins. or so until toothpick poked in comes clean. Cool before icing.