Olla-Podrida: Nordicware Bundt pan

Showing posts with label Nordicware Bundt pan. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 5, 2017

Toffee Crunch Cake

I really have to thank all of you who told me about using Baker’s Joy in a Bundt pan. No more broken bundts for me; that stuff works like a charm! Ever since you all mentioned that to me, I have been “Bundt baking” up a storm. My latest culinary work of art is an improvement on the classic crunch cake.

Funny thing about this crunch cake, I had invited my friend, Linda, over for coffee and coffeecake, and a view of the new deck, prior to its grand unveiling on July 2, at my dad's party. She accepted the invitation with great enthusiasm, as she tends to accept all things, and while I was working on my version of the crunch cake (late at night, as I tend to do), it dawned on me as I was pouring the glaze over the cooled cake sitting on the wire rack, that this wasn't a coffeecake at all, this was an actual cake! I felt I should warn Linda beforehand, but she didn't seem to have any qualms whatsoever about having cake for breakfast, so if it didn't bother her it certainly didn't bother me.

This cake, like a lot of bundt and pound cakes, tends to improve with age. The day after I served it to Linda, it seemed so much better, although she wolfed it down with great zeal the first day. What I'm trying to say here is that this is an excellent make ahead recipe. My guess is that it would be more appropriate as a breakfast cake if you left off the glaze and simply dusted it with powdered sugar, which would make it a lot easier too, but who am I to judge? So, consider this recipe as one that can serve double duty for breakfast or dessert, however you care to serve it.

Toffee Crunch Cake

3 cups cake flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 cups sugar

1 cup butter, softened

4 large eggs, room temperature

1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt

1 cup buttermilk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Topping:

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut

1/4 cup crushed mixed nuts

1/4 cup toffee bits

Spray the interior of a bundt pan with Baker’s Joy. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of sugar around the bottom of the pan, turning the pan so the sugar reaches 3 inches up the sides. Sprinkle coconut flakes, crushed nuts, and toffee bits in the bottom of the pan; set aside.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Sift together cake flour, salt, baking powder, and soda; set aside.

In the work bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter until light and fluffy, approximately 5 minutes. Add 2 cups of sugar, continuing to beat an additional 2 minutes.

Beat in eggs, one at a time, making certain each is thoroughly blended before adding the next. Mix in yogurt and vanilla extract.

Alternate adding flour and milk, beginning and ending with the flour. Do not over beat. Pour the batter into the prepared Bundt pan spreading evenly.

Bake for 55 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to stand for 10 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Dust with powdered sugar to serve in the morning, or top with your favorite glaze (I used this one) to serve in the afternoon or evening.

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This post is linked to:

Full Plate Thursday

Grace at Home

Coffee and Conversation

Friday at the Fire Station
Foodie Friday & Everything Else

Create, Bake, Grow and Gather
Share Your Style

Paula's No Rules Weekend Blog Party

Thursday, June 15, 2017

Caramel Pound Cake with Salted Toffee Glaze

Some of you may recall from earlier blog posts, that Bundt cakes are my nemesis. I have made many a Bundt cake, all with disastrous results. Finally, in desperation, I washed up my cathedral style Bundt pan for the last time, and slipped it into the donation box. I should have let it go at that, but the fact that I couldn't make a good Bundt cake continued to haunt me. So, I treated myself to a new pan -- this one -- and took the advice of a lot of you who told me to try using Baker’s Joy. As you can see from these pictures, my luck has most definitely changed! The new Bundt pan, with simpler, more traditional lines, coupled with the Baker’s Joy, was 100% successful. Thank you all very much.

Last Sunday I went to dad's house for a visit. I am so tired these days from getting up early to greet the contractor that I'm literally stumbling with fatigue. As you know, I like to take at least one meal to dad with me when I go -- often two -- but I was just too tired to make anything other than a cake. Dad tends to like pound cake because, like me, he thinks it works equally well at breakfast as it does for dessert. This cake does particularly because, despite what appears to be an awful lot of sugar, it's not overly sweet. My fear was that it was going to be cloying, but no. This is a wonderful cake. Dense, slightly sweet, tasting nicely, but not too much, of caramel, with a wonderful salted toffee glaze that takes it over the top.

This is a recipe I'll make again and again, not only because it's so easy, but because it's so darned good. (As it turned out, dad really dodged a bullet by my not making him a meal this past week. My plan was to make him chicken chow mein. It was a new recipe, and not particularly a good one, so I will not speak of it again.)

Do give this cake a try; it's tasty and different from your average Bundt, and don't forget the Baker’s Joy!

Caramel Pound Cake with Salted Toffee Glaze

1 cup butter
1/2 cup Crisco
2 1/4 cups brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
5 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup milk
1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup flour

Preheat oven to 325° F. Grease and flour (or spray with Baker’s Joy) a 10-12 cup Bundt pan.

In the work bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter, Crisco, and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition; stir in vanilla.

Sift together 2 1/2 cups flour and baking powder, and add alternately to mixture with the 1 cup of milk.

In a small bowl stir pecans with 1/2 cup flour to coat; fold pecans into batter.

Pour the batter into your prepared pan and bake for 70 to 90 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the pan to stand for 10 minutes after removing from oven and then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely. When cake is cool, drizzle with Salted Toffee Glaze (recipe below).

Salted Toffee Glaze

From The Café Sucre Farine

5 tablespoons salted butter

½ cup packed dark brown sugar

⅓ cup heavy cream

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

⅔ cup sifted powdered sugar

Flaking sea salt

Combine the butter, dark brown sugar, heavy cream and salt in a heavy sauce pan and bring the mixture to a rolling boil, stirring constantly. Boil for ONE minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla extract. Add about ½ cup of the powdered sugar and whisk until smooth. Continue to whisk in powdered sugar by the tablespoon until you reach your desired consistency. Place on a serving platter or cake stand and pour the salted toffee icing over the top. Sprinkle lightly with flaky sea salt.

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This post is linked to:

Dream, Create, Inspire

O My Heartsie Girls Wonderful Wednesday

Wow Us Wednesday

Wine’d Down Wednesday

Full Plate Thursday

Grace at Home

Friday at the Fire Station
Foodie Friday & Everything Else

Create, Bake, Grow and Gather
Share Your Style

Simple Saturday Blog Hop

Paula's No Rules Weekend Blog Party

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Saturday, April 8, 2017

Coconut Bunny Cakes

I don't know what it is about Nordic Ware pans, but we just don't get along. Having seen little bunny cakes on other blogs, I caved and bought this Nordic Ware bunny pan. Because I'm taking lunch to my dad tomorrow, and because he loves coconut cake, I decided to make coconut pound cake bunnies. Well, it didn't work out exactly as I'd planned. With the exception of one or two, most of my bunnies looked like war victims. I did everything I possibly could have to keep them from sticking. I melted Crisco, I brushed it into the pan not once, not twice, but three times, then filled each cavity with sifted flour covering every nook and cranny, and tapping it out. I just knew these bunnies were going to pop out like beautiful little animals. No! I had to tap the pan on the counter, I had to tap it on the side, I inverted it, I "re-verted" it. I used a knife to encourage the bunnies out of the pan. Nothing. I tried to get some out while warm (that seemed to work better), then remembered reading somewhere that said allowing them to cool makes them come out easier. No! At any rate, you may have better luck than I did (as so many other people have), and end up with darling cakes. Me? Next year I'm going for the big bunny pan like this one.

On a positive note, the coconut cake was phenomenal! The best coconut cake I think I have ever eaten. In fact, it is the best pound cake I've ever eaten, coconut or otherwise. I tinkered with a couple of recipes to come up with this one, and, instead of icing mine, because I'm not a huge fan of super sweet icing, I made up a glaze and drizzled it over the warm cakes. It gave them a nice sheen, and an extra good taste. Then, I lightly dusted them with sifted powdered sugar. I cannot recommend this cake enough. If you decide to make mini cakes, like I did, you'll be baking them between 10 and 15 minutes less than you would if you were making an entire cake. Just watch them, when the edges turn light brown, and the cake springs back when lightly touched it's done.

Best Ever Coconut Pound Cake

3 sticks (1½ cups) butter

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

½ cup sour cream

½ cup vanilla Greek yogurt

½ teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon coconut extract

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon almond extract

1¾ cups flour

2 cups flaked coconut

Coconut Glaze:

1 cup sugar

¼ cup water

2 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon coconut extract

Preheat oven to 325°F. Generously (And I am talking GENEROUSLY!) grease and flour a Bundt or cakelet pan.

In a medium bowl, mix flour and flaked coconut; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs, and at a time, and mix until light and fluffy. Add sour cream, yogurt, baking powder, and extracts. Mix well.

Add half of the flour mixture to creamed mixture and mix well; add remaining flour mixture and mix until combined.

Let cake batter rest for 5 minutes.

Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 60 - 70 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool 25 minutes. Invert onto serving plate; coat with coconut glaze.

For the glaze: Mix ingredients together in a medium saucepan. Cook and stir over low heat until sugar is melted. Pour on top of cake and let the glaze soak into the cake. Allow glaze to dry and then dust cakes with powdered sugar.

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