summer cakes

I got lucky. I did not know what to do with our strawberries and I did not know what to do while L was nursing so I just mindlessly clicked online while she was nursing. I saw a Strawberry Summer Cake recipe posted not too long ago on Smitten Kitchen (yes, the one you want to live in), and I thought, "Wow, this looks easy and pretty and scrumptious! I think I am going to have to make this!"

Strawberry Summer Cake

And so I made the cake. So simple and easy, with glorious results. I would agree with Deb, the sugar in the batter can easily be scaled back by 2 tablespoons without hurting the flavor of the cake at all. It is such a moist, lovely cake with depth in flavor, and the juicy berries in every bite just adds to its decadence. The bright yellow color of the cake makes you think you are biting into lovely sunshine. We served it with whipped cream (but of course! A German afternoon tea/coffee is never without a bowl of freshly whipped cream, either to go with cakes, scones or into the coffee, and I will always follow my mother-in-law's good example!) and devoured the cake with three lusty groans per bite. It took every ounce of discipline to not eat the entire cake at one go.

And as we enjoyed the cake, I told R, "I am sure this cake will be as wonderful with sour cherries." He agreed. In fact, I think it will go well with all summer berries and could not wait to go berry-picking. (And finally, after having read Jamberry with all my children so many million times, I could finally appreciate the exuberant joy of picking your own berries!) I can imagine making a blueberry summer cake with this, adding some lemon zest into the batter, and maybe even making some lemon sugar to sprinkle over the blueberries.  In the mean time, I got a jar of sour cherries from Trader Joe's and baked a sour cherry summer cake.

I did not get the cherries lined up real neat but it does not matter, as some sunk and some not during baking. Nobody will really care!

I brought the cake for the local moms group potluck picnic and saw a 5-year-old little girl gobble up three pieces of the cake. She was a sight to behold, and I just enjoyed watching her eat the cake with such relish: she cupped her little hands around the piece of cake then sunk her face into it, aiming first at the cherries. Then, when she had lifted her face from the cake and saw that all the cherries were gone, she pressed her palms together and squished the remaining cake crumbs and inhaled the rest of the cake. I wish I had taken a video. It was so fun and I think nothing warms a cook's heart than to watch someone enjoy the results of her labor.

I doubled the original recipe to make this in an 8 by 12 pan, and will highly recommend you do the same. This cake is worth a second, even third helping and you would love being able to share the joy of it.

CHERRY SUMMER CAKE
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen, who adapted from Martha Stewart
Makes one 8 by 12 cake

• 12 Tbsp (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 3/4 cups sugar, plus 3 Tbsp for sprinkling
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 24-oz jar pitted sour cherries, drained

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Butter an 8 by 12 cake pan.
2. Whisk flour together with baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.
3. In a stand mixer beat butter with sugar until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs, milk and vanilla and mix until just combined (start low so you won't have everything splattering into your face). Add flour mixture gradually, mixing until just smooth.
4. Pour batter into cake pan. Arrange sour cherries whichever way you like on top of the batter. Sprinkle the 3 Tbsp of sugar over the cherries.
5. Bake cake for 10 minutes then reduce oven temperature to 325F and bake for another 45-55 minutes until golden brown, delicious wafts of sunshine fill the kitchen and a tester comes out of the cake dry.
6. Cool on a rack. Serve with lightly whipped cream. 
7. Due to the high moisture content, I will not recommend keeping it for more than a day (eat more or invite people over for tea).

Best(& easiest) chocolate pudding ever

First, the news. Personal news. My family is moving cross-country to upstate New York. Very exciting. Very crazy. It also means time to cook -- whether from scratch or not -- is getting less, and less, and less, and less. I am still doing it though, but I am not sure how often I am going to post here. I already have a backlog of recipes, but my moving-related to-do list is also growing by the mile every second. My insanity-cum-stress level is shooting through the roofs and I am stopping every other second to pick up my eyeballs from the floor and popping them back into their sockets.

Whatever it is, I will come back here. If I am true to my word about posting recipes we have liked here, and if my bad habit of having to try yet another new recipe never dies, I could be posting until the cows come home. You just wait.

Does it look like the butterfly wants chocolate pudding too?

Second, more news, and exciting too: easy to make dessert that your kid(s) will love to help, can easily help, and they don't even have to wait to eat it (if you choose to eat it warm). This is totally delicious to me, and every time I think of this chocolate pudding recipe I rub my hands with glee for all its goodness. This recipe came from the no longer existing Organic Style magazine, and they called it "The Best Chocolate Pudding Ever" and I whole-heartedly agree with all my chocolate mustache. They also say if you want it less intense and more kid-friendly, to reduce the chocolate from 4 ounces to three instead. Well, that I respectfully disagree. I make it with four ounces of chocolate (maybe even a tiny bit more, to compensate for all that brown stuff that gets left behind on hard-to-reach places like the whisk and the pot) and have never received complaints. But of course, it is up to you to decide how much chocolate will be too intense for you and your family. Proceed with responsibility.

Best-ever Chocolate Pudding

The Best Chocolate Pudding Ever

Recipe from Organic Style magazine (Feb 2005)

Serves 4

• 2 cups whole milk
• 1/4 cup packed dark-brown sugar
• 3 Tbsp sugar
• 3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa
•  3 Tbsp cornstarch
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 4 ounces fine-quality semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup lightly sweetened whipped cream (optional, but highly recommended)

1. Combine 1/2 cup milk with sugars, cocoa, cornstarch, and salt in a 1-pint jar. Screw lid on tightly and shake vigorously until blended (a few lumps are OK, and this is something kids will love to help with).
2. Heat remaining 1 1/2 cups milk in a medium heavy saucepan over medium heat. When small bubbles appear on side of pan (kids love the assignment of watching out for bubbles!), pour cocoa mixture into saucepan and whisk to combine. Cook, whisking, until pudding thickens, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in chopped chocolate and  vanilla extract.
3. Spoon pudding into 4 heatproof cups. Serve hot, warm or chilled with whipped cream, if desired. (I just pour into a large glass bowl, cover and chill. And portion out accordingly into small bowls.)

Got chocolate pudding?

 

Delicious Gluten-free Banana Bread

Delightful gluten-free banana bread

 Banana Bread. Yum. Whoever invented banana bread deserves a medal, I am sure you agree. I love bananas. I eat them straight, or with peanut butter, or chocolate spread, or in a bread. It's an easy solution when one is low on sugar and is plenty good for you.

Don't be afraid to let your bananas develop those brown spots before you use them in baking! That is when their flavor is ripe and high. And making a double batch? -- always a very smart idea.

This loaf rises respectably high for a gluten-free quick bread.

This recipe comes from Elizabeth Barbone's Easy Gluten-Free Baking. It is simple and straight-forward, and very good. Some gluten-free banana bread tends to be sticky and dense, but not this one. Great flavor, wonderful texture, delectable crumb. No wonder Barbone calls this the "Blue Ribbon Banana Bread" (she adapted it from her mother's recipe, which won several blue ribbons in bake-off contests.) The only thing I did to this recipe was to add a handful of chocolate chips. And by a handful, I mean about 1/2 to 3/4 a cup, as desired. If I am using chocolate chips, I normally reduce the sugar by about 1/4 cup. It's your choice!

Blue Ribbon Banana Bread

Recipe from Easy Gluten-Free Baking

Wet ingredients:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/3 cups very ripe mashed bananas
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
• 2 large eggs

Dry ingredients:

• 1 2/3 cups white rice flour
• 1/3 cup cornstarch
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp xanthan gum

• 1/2 - 3/4 cup chocolate chips (if desired)

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and rice flour a 9 by 5 inch loaf pan. in a small bowl, mix together sugar and mashed bananas. Allow to sit for 15 minutes.
2. In a separate small bowl, whisk together dry ingredients.
3. In a large bowl, cream butter until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well between additions. Add half of the dry ingredients. Blend until smooth on medium-low speed. Add banana-sugar mixture. Stir until well incorporated. Add remaining dry ingredients. Blend batter until smooth.
4. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes, until tester inserted in center of cake comes out clean.
5. Place pan on wire rack to cool for 5 minutes (I tend to let it cool longer when the weather is warm). Remove loaf from pan and place on rack to cool completely.

 

Take time for yourself, and enjoy!

GF Crustless Quiche

OK, for a while over here, it's going to be fast, delish and simple. No styling of food, just a photo (or three) to show you that I really did test out the recipe and did not die eating it, and that my family allowed me to post it.

Fair deal? I hope so.

Up today is a gluten-free Crustless Quiche recipe from Incredible Edible Gluten-Free Food for Kids: 150 Family-Tested Recipes. I love that it is fast and easy, and the possibilities are pretty endless. I used crumbled bacon in mine but you can use anything you fancy, including leftovers: roasted peppers, blanched broccoli, roasted asparagus, leeks and caramelized onions. Indeed if you vary the "filling" your family will not suspect that it is the same ol' recipe!

The last piece, up for grabs.

Gluten-free Crustless Quiche

Recipe from Incredible Edible Gluten-Free Food for Kids: 150 Family-Tested Recipes 

 Serves 4-6, depending on appetite

• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups milk or substitute
• 3/4 cup sliced green onions (optional)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp ground pepper
• 1/8 tsp grd nutmeg
• 3/4 cup cooked, chopped meat (chicken, ham, crabmeat) OR 1/2 cup crumbled bacon OR anything you fancy!
• 2 cups (about 6 oz) shredded cheese (Swiss, cheddar, Monterey Jack, Harvati)
• 2 Tbsp sweet rice flour (I used almond meal)

 

1. Preheat oven to 325F.
2. Thoroughly grease a deep pie dish; set aside.
3. In a bowl, combine the eggs, milk, green onions (if using), salt, pepper and nutmeg. Stir in the meat (or other filling of choice).
4. Pull out the center rack of the preheated oven and place the prepared pie pan on it. Pour the mixture carefully into the pan. Carefully push the rack back into the oven and close.
5. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.
6. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

simple, fast, yum

I am all for the "fast to cook, good to eat" category of recipes. Sure, sometimes it is fun to make something more elaborate and complicated that makes you want to call a press conference about. But other times, you just want to be in and out of the kitchen, and have more time to do other things (like find more recipes).

I love this Chocolate Chip Pecan Loaf Cake recipe from Melissa Clark's In the Kitchen with A Good Appetite. It is simple and fast to make (ok, you need to endure the 50 minutes it takes to bake, plus cooling time, but in the meantime you can take a relaxing bath, read the dictionary or  scrub the grout) and the result is pleasingly delicious. So you may not be too impressed that the loaf did not rise extremely high in its pan, but when you slice into this divine little loaf (which Clark described as "almost like a big, soft chocolate chip cookie in sliceable form"), you will regret that you did not double the recipe and made two loaves instead. The crust is incredibly crispy and addictive-- I had a good mind to remove the crusts and serve the rest of the cake- still very delicious- to my family, telling them I burned the crust, so sorry. And then, I would have to find a safe little corner and enjoy every crispy bit of the crust. It is that good. The rest of the cake contains chocolate chips and chopped pecans- what's not to love? And then you also use yogurt, healthy and good for you. I think this recipe deserves 100 points.

Heaven looks like this

 When I was slicing this cake, preparing for our afternoon tea, L saw it and exclaimed "Birthday cake!! and ran to get a candle...

and tried out different placements for the "birthday candle"...

I only made small changes in quantities to this recipe to suit my taste (less sugar, MORE chocolate chips, MORE pecans), this truly is a perfect recipe, I encourage you to try it. I think you will be hooked. I will warn you: it is hard to stop eating after one slice. You will keep looking for crumbs and when the crumbs have been wiped clean from your plate (and your child's) and the table cloth, you will start to grab the knife and keep cutting off slivers of a slice until you have eaten yet another. Do not think to bring this to a potluck because when you arrive you will regret that decision and want to keep the cake for yourself, and then you will have to arrive at the potluck empty-handed, but with tell-tale crumbs on your face. By all means, enjoy this wonderful cake.

Chocolate Chip Pecan Loaf Cake
Recipe from In the Kitchen with A Good Appetite

• 1 cup sugar (I reduced to 3/4 cup, and used Rapadura)
• 2/3 cup plain yogurt
• 3 large eggs
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips (I used 3/4 cup, maybe a few chips more)
• 1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans (I used 3/4 cup)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease a 9 X 5-inch loaf pan.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar and yogurt. Add the eggs, one at a time, and whisk until completely combined.

3. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry mixture into the wet and mix until just combined.

4. Using a spatula, fold in the melted butter a little at a time. Fold in the chocolate chips and pecans.

5. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until the cake is golden and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack to cool to room temperature, right side up.

 

Go-to meal: Easy fish dish

We all have a few of these recipes up our sleeves, that we pull out when we do not know what to cook, is pressed for time, or just want to cook something familiar that we know the family is going to eat. I call it my go-to meal, or my reliable fallback, and sometimes it becomes my food rut, when I simply cannot get out of cooking the same old dishes over and over again. I am going to slowly post my go-to meals, and I'm actually curious to see how many I end up with!

Kicking off this series is an easy fish dish. We first encountered it at a buffet when vacationing at Rocky Point, Mexico. R tried the dish first and then set off to get us more, urging me to try it as it was really delish. Oh it was good, fresh fish, very flavorful, and I suspect the sunny blue skies and fresh oceanic breeze enhanced the savoring experience! When we got home, I decided to figure out how to make this easy fish dish, which can be named however you fancy, but we call it "That olive-tomato fish dish."

The beauty of this dish is that it uses few ingredients, and can be simply and quickly whipped up. You can of course fancy it up and I'm going to talk about that. You can use any mild flavored fish. I tend to use tilapia, which is normally farm-raised, and I have to say when you get it from a source that is responsibly farmed, you can taste the difference in quality and taste. Recently I bought some farm-raised tilapia when Whole Foods had a sale, after reading about why theirs was different, and we definitely enjoyed the pristine taste of the fish. I am always able to find some variety of wild-caught fish at Trader Joe's at good prices.

The other ingredients in this dish are: minced garlic, tomatoes, italian parsley, sliced black olives.

When tomatoes are in season, I chop them up and cook them down to a yummy sauce (with some sliced garlic added). But when tomatoes start to look pale and simply not appealing during the off-season, or when I want it all fast, I reach for a jar of tomato sauce. I try to avoid canned tomatoes (and canned food in general) due to the dangers of BPA in tin can linings leaking into the food. Instead I use pasta sauce in glass jars if I need tomato sauce quick for this fish dish. Sometimes I get the variety with mushrooms added, so I save even the job of chopping yet another item! For the olives, I also get those in glass jars from Trader Joe's and then slice them up, or chop them coarse and quick when pressed for time.

So, here's the recipe, with no absolute measures (that's how you cook it fast!):

Easy Olive-Tomato Fish Dish
Ingredients

• 2 pounds tilapia (or other fish)
• minced garlic (as much as you love!)
• 1 glass jar of tomato sauce
• sliced black olives (as much as you like)
• italian parsley, chopped (as much as you like)

Directions

1. Mince garlic, chop parsley, rinse the fish and pat dry, then cut into chunks (about 2-inch is good).
2. Season fish lightly with salt and pepper.
3. Heat olive oil in a large skillet (or pot if preferred), and when hot, add the minced garlic and saute quickly till light golden brown.
4. Immediately add the olives and continue to saute.
5. Add fish pieces, sauteing a minute or so, and then add tomato sauce. Add more salt and/or pepper if desired.
6. Let dish simmer for about 20 minutes. Adjust seasoning if needed. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve.

I serve this with steamed white rice. I do wish this is a one-skillet dish but the vegetables is rather lacking. I don't think those sliced olives count much towards the desirable daily vegetable quotient, and thought italian parsley do contain a multitude of minerals, you wouldn't want to be adding an entire chunk of it. So, what about the vegetables?

Sometimes, I put some vegetables (cauliflower, broccoli, sugar peas) on top of the steamer and let it cook at the same time as the rice. If I'm really tired, I just slice up a bowl of cucumbers and carrots and serve it raw or quick pickled. If I am lucky to have pickled beets or kimchi in the fridge I pull those out. Very often we do a easy vegetable dish, which is simply blanching green beans, cauliflower or broccoli, and then tossing with a good olive oil and sprinkled with good sea salt. It may sound bland, but I find that a good vegetable dish does not demand a whole lot of tinkering or even a plethora of spices or seasoning. Usually a good olive oil and sea salt brings the flavor out nicely, and I like that it keeps the palette simple so we can enjoy the fish dish better.

As for fancying up this fish dish, you can slice up some onions, and then slowly caramelize it in a separate skillet as the fish dish simmer, then folding the delicious caramelized onions with the fish dish before serving it up. You can also "beef up" this dish by sauteing some chopped mushrooms and zucchini in olive oil and herbs, and then folding it into the fish. This is a great simple dish to experiment with! Let me know if you do, and I would love to hear your simple vegetable dish ideas if you'd share!