Pecan Roll Bundt

Last weekend, I hosted an annual Flip Flop Exchange and brunch for friends and their little (or not so little anymore!) girls.  We had a blast and I wish I had better / more pictures to share but I was busy enjoying the company and conversation.  I love making breakfast and having friends for brunch gives me an excuse to try some new recipe ideas.  Someday, if my dream of owning a bed and breakfast comes true, I'll get to do it all the time!  Anyways, I digress.  

This time around I made two new things  that I want to share.  The first is a pecan roll bundt cake.  It's like an easier version of monkey bread and I was initially skeptical about the method of using whole biscuits so I gave it a test run a few weeks prior when BFF and baby girl were here.  It turned out fantastic and really easy.  I love pecan rolls / sticky buns and everything of this genre so I ate waaayyy too much.  

Layered in the pan

Just out of the oven before inverting it

Pecan Roll Bundt 

original recipe here

1.5 cans refrigerated biscuit dough (I used Pillsbury Grands Original)

3 T butter, melted

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/3 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 c. chopped pecans

Spray a bundt pan with non-stick spray.  Combine melted butter and syrup in a small bowl and set aside.  In another bowl, combine sugar, cinnamon, and pecans.  

Place about half of the syrup mixture in the bottom of the pan.  Sprinkle about half of the sugar and cinnamon mixture on top.  Lay the biscuits in the pan overlapping the edges (like the photo above) to form a ring.  Sprinkle with the rest of the sugar cinnamon mixture and pour over the rest of the syrup mixture.  Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool for a minute or two in the pan before running a knife around the edges and inverting onto a serving platter. 

Pear Spice Cake

It looks like we're heading into some fall weather this week!  I have some lentil & barley soup on this week's menu and homemade bread.  I made this Bundt cake for church potluck last week and it turned out really good.  The pear flavor was noticeable and the spice cake was moist and well-balanced.  I made a simple powdered sugar icing but a browned butter or praline topping would be good too.  You could probably also easily replace the pear with apple or persimmons.  Bake something with fall spices - your house will smell awesome and it will put you in a good mood!

Don't forget to play the game on my last post - I bought a cute prize for the winner!

Pear Spice Cake (makes 1 Bundt cake)
adapted from Joy the Baker

2 cups all purpose flour
1.5 tsp cinnamon
1.5 tsp ground allspice
1.5 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened (2 sticks)
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup buttermilk
4 small pears, peeled and grated

Butter and flour your Bundt pan or spray it with baking spray.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a bowl.  In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg at medium high speed until fluffy (about 3 minutes in a stand mixer). Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and then beat in the vanilla.

Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately in batches, mixing well after each addition.  Gently fold in the grated pear.  Spoon batter into pan, smoothing on top and bake until a tester comes out clean, about 40 minutes.  Cool cake in pan 10 minutes and then turn out into a wire rack to cool completely.

Icing:
Put 2 cups of powdered sugar in a bowl.  Add milk, a couple teaspoons at a time until it's the consistency you want.  Drizzle over the cooled cake.

Gingerbread Pumpkin Guinness Bundt

The Sunday after Thanksgiving was a memorable one for our family.  In the morning, my nephew was dedicated.  In the afternoon, my sister (who lives out of town) came over for the day.  We watched a movie and then she played with the girls while I baked - have I said how much I miss my sisters living close by??  Anyways, it was nice to have a little peace while she played with her nieces so I could make this bundt cake.  It was for our evening plans - my brother's 30th birthday celebration.  If it seemed weird to turn 30 myself, it's been really strange watching my two younger siblings (so far) hit that milestone.

You know I'm a fan of bundt cake and this recipe combined things I love:  pumpkin, gingerbread, and a good stout beer.  The original recipe was made with an oatmeal stout but I used Guinness.  It's a nice holiday dessert and I should have made much more icing . . . it looked a little skimpy and I didn't have time to make another batch.

Pumpkin Gingerbread Stout Bundt (10-12 servings)

from Bake Me Away 

1 cup dark stout

1/2 cup molasses

1 tsp. baking soda

3 large eggs

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup canola oil

1 cup canned pumpkin puree

1 T grated fresh ginger

2 c. all purpose flour

1 T ground ginger

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. allspice

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray bundt pan with nonstick spray.  In a medium saucepan (you need room because the mixture will foam way up), combine the stout and molasses over medium heat.  Bring to a boil then remove from heat.  Stir in the baking soda.  It will foam up a lot - set it aside until the foam subsides and the mixture slightly cools.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugars, oil, pumpkin and ginger.  In a medium bowl, mix together the flour and the rest of the ingredients.  Add a third of the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture and whisk until just combined.  Add half of the stout mixture and whisk to combine.  Continue alternating flour and stout until the batter comes together.  Pour into prepared pan.

Bake about 45 minutes or until top feels springy and a tester comes out clean.  Cool for about 5 minutes and then turn the bundt out on a wire rack to continue cooling.  

To make the brown butter icing:

Melt 4 T butter in a small sauce pan over medium high heat until it browns (about 8-10 minutes).  Remove from heat.  Stir in 1 cup sifted powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla.  Add milk, about a tablespooon at a time, until it's the consistency you want . . . I like it pourable but still really thick.  Pour over the bundt cake in wide ribbons.

National Bundt Cake Day

I love this blog The Food Librarian and she makes a bundt cake every day for 30 days leading up to National Bundt Cake Day (11-15 . . . today!).  Crazy, right?  I'm very impressed by a commitment to do anything for 30 days straight.  She inspired me to make a new bundt recipe for some company we had this past weekend.  I served it with pumpkin ice cream (unfortunately not homemade) and I thought the cake was perfect!  Nice crumb and not too dense, moist, great flavor . . . I'll be making this one again.

I didn't change the recipe (from Fine Cooking) except to check the cake sooner than the baking time listed because my oven seems to cook faster than most and to omit the crystallized ginger because Trader Joe's was out of it (of course!!).

Buttermilk Cake with Vanilla Icing (serves 10-12)
from Fine Cooking

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
1.5 cups granulated sugar
1/2 c. canola oil
2 large eggs
1 T white vinegar
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. table salt
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. grated nutmeg
3/4 c. butttermilk
2 1/4 c. peeled and grated butternut squash

Icing:
2 c. confectioners' sugar
3 T buttermilk (more as needed)
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 c. finely chopped crystallized ginger

Preheat oven to 325 and prepare your Bundt pan (grease and flour or use the Baking Pam like I do).  In a large bowl with a hand mixer or a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until well combined, about 1 minute.  Add the oil and beat until combined, about 15 seconds.  Add the eggs one at a time in low speed.  Add the vinegar and vanilla and mix again until just combined.

Add one half of the flour, the baking soda, the ginger, the nutmeg, the salt and mix on low speed until just combined.  Add half the buttermilk and mix until just combined.  Repeat with the other half of the flour and buttermilk.  Stir the squash into the batter and pour batter into bundt pan.  Smooth with a spatula.  Bake until a tester comes out clean, about 1 hour (mine took 50  minutes).  Cool for 30 minutes on a wire rack then carefully remove the pan and cool the cake on a wire rack before transferring to a serving dish.

To make the icing:  In a medium bowl, whisk everything except the chopped crystallized ginger.  Add more buttermilk, a few drops at a time, as needed, until pourable but still quite thick.  Pour it in thick ribbons over the cake.  Sprinkle the ginger on top.  Let the icing set at room temperature (about 45 mins) before serving.

Flip Flop Party 2011

How to Host a Flip Flop Exchange:

1.  Invite lots of friends and their little girls over for brunch and the exchange.  I usually do it in the spring, before summertime

2.  Tell guests to rsvp with their shoe size and how many pairs of flip flops they want to exchange

3.  Check rsvps and hope people actually want to come.  Get a pedicure while you're waiting for the big day.

4.  Set a price limit per pair of flip flops (we did $15) and a week or two before, assign a size for everyone to bring.  Make it work out so that there will be a pair for each participant in their shoe size.  For the little girls, we did a direct exchange (like drawing names at Christmas time)

5.  Buy cheesy flip flop decorations and paper goods at Party City.

6.  Make brunch and have plenty of coffee (and mimosas!)

7.  Eat, talk, laugh, repeat.

8.  After brunch, have guests pick numbers randomly.  Start with #1 and let each person pick the pair of flip flops they like best to take home.  

9.  Post on your blog about your party or comment here and let me know.  

Thanks to everyone who came - I had a really fun morning and was so happy to see each of you.  I'll think of what fun we had when I wear my flip flops this summer!

Baby sister wishing she was old enough to wear flip flops

Here are two of the recipes I made for the brunch.  Both were great and I'm making the frittata again tonight for dinner.  I didn't realize until I was part way through the bundt recipe that it had a LOT of caffeine . . . and I had several pregnant friends and some little kids who might not have appreciated that fact!  But, it was delicious and I polished off the leftovers after the race I ran on Sunday.  

Potato Frittata 

I found the recipe on Gluten Free Goddess but I used Gruyere & added cooked chopped bacon

Recipe here

Cappuccino Bundt Cake

I found the recipe on the Food Librarian and followed it but I made a regular vanilla icing

Recipe here

Persimmon Cake

Remember how much I love persimmons?  This year I wasn't given a ton like last year, but I found them at a little produce store by my house for $.69/pound (Ralphs was charging $1.99 each!!!) and my sister in law gave me a bag full.  So, I'm having fun baking with them.

First up, a persimmon cake.  A few weeks ago, I made half of the recipe below (but no nuts) and baked it in three mini loaf pans for about 20 minutes.  The next time I made it, I used the recipe below and a bundt pan.  The original recipe has a little more sugar, instructs you to bake it longer (mine was done in 45 minutes and I probably should have checked it a little sooner) and has the addition of 3/4 c. raisins.  I also inadvertently used a whole teaspoon of nutmeg.   Moist spice cake with the lingering taste of clove and perfect complement to the persimmons.

Fuyu Bundt Cake 
adapted from Sunset magazine

2 tsp. baking soda
3 c. chopped firm Fuyus
1/2 c. butter, softened
1 1/3 c. sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. vanilla
2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 c. chopped walnuts

Grease and flour a bundt cake pan. Preheat oven to 350.  Blend the baking soda into the chopped firm Fuyus. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat butter with sugar. Add eggs, lemon juice, and vanilla and beat until fluffy. Stir in Fuyu mix.

Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, ground cloves,  cinnamon, and  nutmeg. Stir flour into Fuyu mixture just until blended. Add chopped walnuts and raisins.

Pour into prepared bundt pan. Bake at 350 for 45 - 55 minutes or until toothpick tests clean. Cool in pan 15 minutes. Turn onto rack.  Serve warm or room temperature.  I served it with whipped cream but you could make a simple icing and drizzle it on the top.

Holiday Bundt Cake

This recipe from Dorie Greenspan has been floating around the internet for awhile and I was pretty skeptical.  It seemed like it would be too chunky or fruitcakey for my taste.  But, a couple of weeks ago we were invited somewhere for dinner and I wanted to make a dessert and not go to the grocery store again.  I happened to have all these ingredients on hand and I gave it a try. 

It was awesome.  Easy to make, rave reviews, not much left, and looks great - your new holiday go to cake.  The next time I make it, I might substitute Fuyu persimmons for the apples but other than that, it's really a great recipe.

Make a bundt, trim the tree and have a fun beginning of the holiday season!

All in One Holiday Bundt (12 servings)

by Dorie Greenspan

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger (or 1 tsp ground ginger)
1 1/4 sticks (10 tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups canned unsweetened pumpkin puree
1 large apple, peeled, cored and finely chopped
1 cup cranberries, halved or coarsely chopped
1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting or maple syrup icing (see note)

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9- to 10- inch (12 cup) Bundt pan. Don’t place the pan on a baking sheet-you want the oven’s heat to circulate freely through the Bundt’s inner tube.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and ground ginger, if you’re using it (not the grated ginger).

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter and both sugars together at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, and beat for 1 minute after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the pumpkin, chopped apple and grated ginger, if you’re using it-don’t be concerned if the mixture looks curdled. Still on low speed, add the dry ingredients, mixing only until they are incorporated. With a rubber spatula, stir in the cranberries and pecans. Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top with the rubber spatula.

Bake for 60 to 70 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Transfer the cake to a rack and cool for 10 minutes before unmolding, then cool to room temperature on the rack.

Maple Icing:

Sift 6 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar into a bowl and stir in 2 tablespoons maple syrup. Add more maple syrup little by little, until you have an icing that runs nicely off the tip of the spoon — you might need another 1/2 tablespoon syrup to get the right consistency. Let the icing set for a few minutes before serving.

My 200th Post

For this, my #200 post on my blog, I offer this picture tutorial on making a pumpkin cake.  I'm pretty proud of myself for making something that has to be decorated after my previous decorating disasters.  Happy belated birthday to Stephanie, my foodie friend and partner in crime!

A few notes:
I made spice cakes and vanilla frosting.  The stem is a green ice cream cone (Ralphs carries colored cones for 99 cents a box).  I used green fruit roll ups (green apple flavor) for the decorations and cut them out with a sharp knife.  The food coloring was a bit of a challenge and it looked pink, not orange, for a long time!

Chocolate Cinnamon Bundt Cake

What better way to embrace December than with decadent baked goods? I love the holidays and my daughter helped me decorate for Christmas this week. She loved all the nativities that we have and went to the kitchen to find raisins to feed baby Jesus. She's got it figured out that part of the holiday spirit is feeding people you love! I have a few favorite cakes that I'll post - they're all simple, tasty, and would make a nice addition to a holiday meal, open house, or afternoon with friends.

This is a Chocolate Cinnamon Bundt Cake. Need I say more? Ok, I'll tell you about the espresso glaze . . . it's to die for. When I made this, my husband told me that I should pour it over anything that I bake because all he wanted was the glaze. I had the ingredients for this in my kitchen and I've fallen in love with baking sprays that have flour in them (PAM makes one) for bundt cake success.

Chocolate Cinnamon Bundt Cake (from Bon Appetit 9/09)

1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder
4 teaspoons instant espresso powder, divided
2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups (packed) golden brown sugar, divided
1 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups mini semisweet chocolate chips, divided
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously grease a 12-to 15-cup nonstick Bundt pan. Whisk 1 cup boiling water, cocoa powder, and 2 teaspoons espresso powder in 2-cup glass measure. Whisk 2 cups flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat 2 cups brown sugar, 1 cup vegetable oil, and 1 tablespoon vanilla in large bowl to blend. Add eggs; beat to blend.

Beat mixture until smooth, about 30 seconds longer. Beat in half of flour mixture, then cocoa mixture. Add remaining flour mixture; beat to blend. Fold in 1 cup chocolate chips. Transfer batter to prepared Bundt pan.

Bake cake until tester inserted near center comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Cool the cake 10 minutes. Invert cake onto rack (or platter) and cool 15 minutes longer.

Meanwhile, stir remaining 1/2 cup brown sugar, 2 teaspoons espresso powder, and 2 tablespoons water in small saucepan over medium heat until sugar melts. Remove from heat. Add butter and remaining 1/4 cup chocolate chips; stir until butter and chocolate melt. Cool slightly. Using spoon, drizzle icing over cake. Cool cake completely, slice, and serve.

PS - I'm back from my blogging hiatus . . . it wasn't planned but with a trip to the east coast for Thanksgiving and trying to grade essays, quizzes, and homework before finals next week, things have been busy! Looking forward to catching up with everyone in the next few weeks.

And more pumpkin . . .

This week, I made pumpkin pancakes (so-so . . . should have followed a recipe) and a pumpkin buttermilk bundt cake (barely lasted long enough to take photos of). And, it's not enough - I'm planning on making the pumpkin cookies from Joy of Cooking tonight or tomorrow. I've been using canned solid pack pumpkin, not the innards of our jack-o-lanterns and have amassed a nice little stash from Trader Joe's and Whole Foods where it seems to be in abundance on the shelves.

The Food Librarian inspired the bundt cake - she's making a bundt cake every day for 30 days and I've been following her quest closely. The recipe is here on Epicurious (Gourmet 11/05) and I followed it exactly except I added a dash of cinnamon to the icing. I haven't made a bundt since this disaster and I used the Pam spray for baking with flour in it - why didn't I discover this sooner?? Next to my silpat mats, it's going to be my best baking secret.

Have a fun, safe Halloween! And, happy birthday Stephanie!

P.S. If you want someone else to make you pumpkin pancakes, try them at Dish in La Canada - delicious.

What I'm Making for St. Patrick's Day

Most weeks, I get together with three friends for lunch or coffee. One of them hosts a 4th of July party and one of them hosts a St. Patrick's Day party. I think I'm supposed to be the Christmas person but this past year was the first time in awhile I got my act together and actually planned a party. On Saturday, I'm bringing this cake to the St. Patrick's Day Party. My friend who's hosting makes great Corned Beef and Cabbage and I admit, I've NEVER made it (mostly since I have her around to do it for me!). If I was going to make it this year, I'd probably try the recipe from this blog (the baked version with mustard and cloves). Let me know if you make this!

Back to the cake. It's a cheater recipe - look at the first ingredient - but I've made it several times with good results. I especially like it with coffee the next morning. If you're making it for kids, someone who's pregnant, or a teetotaler, don't worry - the alcohol bakes or boils off. If you want an alcohol-free alternative, you could use irish creme flavored syrup (like what you'd put in coffee or espresso drinks).

Irish Cream Bundt Cake

Cake Ingredients:
1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
1 (3.4 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
4 eggs
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup Irish cream liqueur

Glaze Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter
2-4 T. water
1/4 - 1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup Irish cream liqueur

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a 10 inch Bundt pan. In a large bowl, combine cake mix and pudding mix. Mix in eggs, 1/4 cup water, 1/2 cup oil and 3/4 cup Irish cream liqueur. Beat for 3 minutes at high speed. Pour batter into the pan and bake for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before inverting onto a serving dish.

Then, make the glaze, combine butter, water, and sugar in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and continue boiling for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in the Irish cream. Use a fork to prick holes in the top and sides of the cake. Spoon the glaze over the top and brush it onto the sides of cake. I use a pastry brush. Allow the cake to absorb the glaze and repeat until all glaze is used up.

Additions: You can sprinkle 1 cup of chopped pecans on the bottom of the bundt pan before pouring in the cake batter. You could also use green food coloring. I think it would taste good as cupcakes (probably would make 2 dozen and you'd halve the cooking time). Then, skip the glaze and color some buttercream frosting green.

PS - St. Patrick's Day is also my sister-in-law's birthday . . . Happy 30th Sonia!