Cinnamon Pound Cake with Cinnamon Glaze

Cinnamon Pound Cake with Cinnamon Glaze - made April 9, 2017, modified from Baking by Flavor by Lisa Yockelson (original recipe called Caramel Chip Cake)

Cinnamon Pound Cake with Cinnamon Glaze

The Caramel Chip Cake version - didn't come out of the pan very well

The original recipe from Lisa Yockelson’s Baking by Flavor calls this a caramel chip cake because it uses the addition of caramel-flavored chips. I only recently found caramel-flavored chips at Target so I was pleased I could finally try this recipe as Lisa Yockelson intended. But, alas, you can see from the pictures that how mine came out is probably not how she intended. That’s the downside of using chips in a Bundt cake. Despite dutifully tossing the caramel chips in a bit of the flour mixture which is supposed to keep the chips evenly suspended in the batter while the cake bakes, the chips still sank to the bottom and clung stubbornly to the pan when being up-ended to turn out the cake, despite the pan being properly and generously greased. Bah.

.My patchy Caramel Chip Cake

I might’ve been able to forgive it for that if I had liked the taste but I belatedly remembered after I took a bite that I just don’t like nutmeg in baked goods. This one only held half a teaspoon and I used my trusty, high-quality Penzey’s nutmeg but to no avail. I just don’t like the flavor of nutmeg. I don’t mind it in savory food but I don’t like it in baked goods. And it was pretty dominant in this cake, half a teaspoon or not. Strike three for this cake is I didn’t like the caramel-flavored chips in there either. They were too sweet and added a jarring note to the cake. 

Caramel Chip Cake - texture was good but I didn't like the nutmeg

Normally, with three strikes I would consider the recipe a failure, document it and move on. But the saving grace for this cake is I really liked the texture. It had a perfect pound cake texture, dense but soft, moist and chewy. So what do you do if you like nothing about the cake except its texture? Naturally, you tweak the recipe.

Cinnamon Pound Cake before the glaze

My tweaks were rather minor but made a world of difference. I made the cake again but this time I omitted the caramel-flavored chips entirely and instead of the nutmeg, I substituted the same amount in cinnamon. Vietnamese cinnamon from Penzey’s if you want to know since I don’t bake with any other cinnamon anymore. Half a teaspoon of cinnamon doesn’t go as far in terms of flavoring an entire cake as half a teaspoon of nutmeg does so to amp up the cinnamon flavor, I made up a cinnamon glaze. It’s a basic royal icing glaze with powdered sugar and milk but I added a teaspoon of cinnamon to the powdered sugar to flavor it.

Cinnamon Pound Cake

Lo and behold, my tweaky tinkering worked. It still didn't come out cleanly but it wasn't as patchy-looking at the original cake. I still loved the texture of the cake but this time I also liked the flavor. Forget the Caramel Chip Cake; this just became my Cinnamon Pound Cake with Cinnamon Glaze.

Cinnamon Pound Cake

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup unsifted bleached cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (I used Penzey's Vietnamese Cinnamon)
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups brown sugar, firmly packed
1/3 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs
2 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk, whisked well

Cinnamon Glaze
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
2-4 tablespoons whole milk or more as needed to achieve desired consistency

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 10-inch Bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Sift the all-purpose flour, bake flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon together. 
3. Cream the butter in the bowl of a freestanding electric mixer on moderate speed for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the brown sugar and beat for 1 minute; add the granulated sugar and beat for 1 to 2 minutes.
4. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, blending well after each addition. Blend in the vanilla extract.
5. On low speed, alternatively add the flour mixture and the buttermilk, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Scrape down the sides of the bowl frequently with a rubber spatula to keep batter even textured.
6. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula.
7. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until risen, set and a wooden toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Let the cake stand in the pan on a cooling rack for 5 to 8 minutes. Loosen sides and center with a small rubber spatula before inverting onto another cooling rack. Cool completely.
8. Make icing: whisk together confectioners' sugar and cinnamon. Add vanilla and the first 2 tablespoons of milk. Keep adding milk gradually, whisking smooth, until icing is desired consistency. Pour over Bundt cake.

Shrimp and Gnocchi with Garlic Parmesan Cream Sauce

Shrimp and Gnocchi with Garlic Parmesan Cream Sauce - made April 15, 2017, modified from Damn Delicious

This is another of those easy one-dish dinners I like to specialize in. Specialize sounds really hi-falutin’ but you can translate that to mean “so easy, even I, a person who can’t really cook, can make this and have it turn out decently well”.

It helps that you can buy ready-made gnocchi, which I did from Trader Joe’s. I also had my handy jar of minced garlic from Penzey’s so I didn’t even have to bother peeling and mincing garlic “from scratch”. Raw shrimp already deveined with tails on are easy enough to clean and take the tails off. After that, it’s just a matter of frying and stirring ingredients then tossing them all together at the end. I skipped the step of baking the shrimp as that seemed like an unnecessary extra step when stir frying would do just as well. I know, I know, I'm a lazy cook. 

This is a rich dish though because of the cream sauce and the Parmesan cheese. I don’t eat gnocchi very often because it’s just so heavy, even in small portions. With a rich cream sauce, you might want to make even smaller portions as this made for a hearty, filling meal even if you don’t eat very much of it. Next time, I might cut back slightly on the garlic and heavy up on the shrimp to balance out the starchy carbs of the gnocchi.

1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tablespoon olive oil
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 16-ounce package potato gnocchi
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

Garlic Parmesan Cream Sauce
1/4 cup unsalted butter
4 cloves garlic, minced (I used 4 tablespoons Penzey's minced garlic)
1 cup chicken broth, or more as needed
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 cup half and half
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmersan cheese
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. Heat olive oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add shrimp, salt and pepper, and parsley leaves, stir frying until shrimp is pink. Drain onto separate bowl and set aside.
2. In large pot of boiled salted water, cook gnocchi according to package instructions; drain and set aside.
3. In same saucepan you cooked the shrimp, melt butter over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute.
4. Gradually whisk in chicken broth, thyme and basil. Cook, whisking constantly, until incorporated, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in half and half and Parmesan cheese until slightly thickened, about 1-2 minutes. If mixture becomes too thick, add more chicken broth or half and half, as needed. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Add shrimp and gnocchi; gently toss to combine. Serve immediately.

Chocolate Chip Cookies - Levain Bakery copycat #13 from Chew Out Loud

Chocolate Chip Cookies, Levain Bakery copycat #13 - made dough April 8, 2017, adapted from Chew Out Loud

I tried several different Levain Bakery copycat recipes for their chocolate chip cookie to make for my niece’s fundraiser donor goodie bags. The good news is all the recipes turned out. I made them the same way: big chocolate chips, subbed out some of the granulated sugar for turbinado sugar, froze the dough, baked them at higher temps and so on. They all turned out thick, chubby and delicious.

The bad news is because I made each recipe one at a time as I needed them to fill goodie bags, I didn’t bake them simultaneously and taste test them against each other. So I’m having a hard time distinguishing one recipe from another in terms of taste or remembering exactly how each one tasted. Other than they all tasted great.

The base ingredients are similar although one differed by being made with bread flour, a couple used cornstarch and some of the leavening agents varied in amount. But let’s be honest. My palate, while picky, is not quite that discriminating to be able to tell you whether the cookies made with bread flour instead of all-purpose flour or with ½ teaspoon of baking soda instead ¾ teaspoon baking soda is better. Especially when several days to a week might lapse between taste tests.

Ah, the first world problems I deal with. Let’s just say these tasted good. As did the other ones I’ve posted. As did the other ones still to come. Enjoy.

3 cups (13.5 ounces) bread flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup turbinado sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups chocolate chips

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add sugars and beat until combined, 1-2 minutes.
3. Gradually add the eggs and vanilla, beating until just combined.
4. Reduce speed to medium-low and gradually add the flour mixture, scraping down the sides of bowl as needed. Beat until just combined; do not overmix.
5. Fold in chocolate chips. Portion dough into 4 to 6-ounce mounds or golf-ball-size balls, depending on your preference. Cover and chill or freeze several hours or overnight.
6. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Evenly space frozen dough balls on baking sheets and bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until edges are golden brown and middles are just barely cooked. Let cool for 5 minutes on baking sheet then transfer cookies to wire rack to cool completely.

Beef and Sweet Potato Stew

Beef and Sweet Potato Stew - made April 15, 2017

I originally intended to make this in my crock pot. I had a 5-quart one but my niece appropriated it when she moved out and I haven’t seen it since. Which was okay by me as it always seemed a little too big and whenever I made something in it, I seemed to be eating the same thing for days on end. So I bought myself a little 2-quart one. That seemed like the perfect size to make meals for one that would last a few days rather than a few weeks.

Except I didn’t realize until I started making this stew that most recipes make amounts that are too much for a little 2-quart crockpot to fit into. So I ended up making this in a large saucepan. It still worked although I did end up boiling it for awhile until the beef was tender.

I don’t usually have good luck with beef dishes. I never know what cut of meat to get, I always forget the right way to cut it (against the grain, along the grain, what’s “grain” nomenclature doing with meat anyway??), I never know how long to cook it and it either dries out or stays tough. Fortunately though, it turns out the cooking gods decided to cut me a break and didn’t torment me for this one. I still didn’t know how to cut it and I ended up adding more beef broth and water than the recipe called for since I let the stew keep boiling until the meat was tender. But the good news is the meat actually ended up tender after I had boiled, I mean, simmered, it long enough.

The mistake I made – you know there had to be at least one – was I added the sweet potatoes too soon and so they boiled right along with the beef until by the time the meat was tender, the sweet potatoes were no longer distinguishable cubes but sweet potato mush if you stirred the stew and looked at it wrong. So the pictures don’t look that great but the stew was actually quite tasty. It looks a little dry and you can add more beef broth if you want a more soupy stew but I thought it was fine.

And would you believe I made up the recipe? I tried to follow one of the stew recipes I had on my pinterest board but I was missing at least one spice called for in each of the pinned recipes. Which, by the way, was really hard to believe considering how much I had stocked up my spice rack. I mean, c’mon, I never even kept a spice rack before of spices I actually used instead of shoving in a drawer until I forgot about them. There’s that Penzey’s allegiance again. Fortunately, stew is a very forgiving dish so even if you don’t have all of these spices, feel free to experiment and throw in some of your own favorite spices and see how it turns out.

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 pounds beef chuck roast, cut into chunks
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon English prime rib rub
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon oregano
4 whole cloves
3 whole bay leaves
3 cups beef broth
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed

1. Heat large pot with olive oil. Saute chopped onion and garlic until onion is soft and garlic is lightly browned. Add beef and sear until sides are brown but not cooked through.
2. Add paprika, English prime rib rub, pepper, oregano, cloves, beef broth and sweet potatoes. Bring to a low simmer and add bay leaves. Simmer on medium-low heat until beef is tender.

Vanilla Bean Snickerdoodles

Vanilla Bean Snickerdoodles - made dough April 9, 2017 from Cookies & Cups by Shelly Jaronsky

I’d been making so many batches of my favoritesnickerdoodle recipe for my niece’s fundraiser that I finally cracked and tried a new recipe just to do something different for the same cookie. I’m not big on making the same recipe over and over again because I always want to try something new. Which is one reason why I’ve never worked in a bakery or had my own small business selling baked goods. I’m not sure I could handle making the same things all the time.

I went back to my Cookies & Cups baking book to try out this recipe for vanilla bean snickerdoodles. It was pretty straightforward and I used vanilla bean paste in place of buying vanilla beans and scraping out the seeds from the pods. Vanilla bean paste is much easier to use. Vanilla beans are so expensive that I only tend to use them for things like crème brulee where you also soak the pod itself after scraping out the seeds to get more vanilla flavor. Otherwise I make do with vanilla bean paste and fortified vanilla extract (from Penzey’s, where else?)

This made decently good snickerdoodles. They did spread a bit more than my favorite recipe but the taste was on point and they were good. Mine spread more than the picture in the Cookies & Cups book but it could be because I also made my cookie dough balls bigger. No point in having little cookies. I was making this to put in goodie bags for my niece’s fundraiser donors and wanted them to be a good size since they’re meant to be thank yous for their donation.

1 cup butter

3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 vanilla beans or 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

Cinnamon Sugar for rolling
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until combined and creamy, about 2 minutes.
2. Add whole egg, egg yolk and vanilla extract. Mix until incorporated.
3. Scrape insides of vanilla beans and add scrapings to dough. If using vanilla bean paste, add to dough and mix.
4. Add the cinnamon, baking soda, cream of tartar, salt and flour. Mix until flour is just incorporated. Do not overmix.
5. Scoop into golf-ball-size dough balls, cover and chill or freeze for several hours or overnight.
6. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
7. Combine 1/4 cup granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon cinnamon in small bowl. Roll chilled or frozen dough balls in mixture, coating completely. Evenly space on parchment-lined baking sheets, Bake 10-12 minutes until edges are lightly golden and middles are just barely past raw. Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes on baking sheet before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Deep Dish Fudge Brownies

Deep Dish Fudge Brownies - made April 8, 2017 from Brownies and Blondies by Lisa Yockelson

Since I had resigned myself to making only plain brownies for my niece’s fundraising (she met her original goal to raise $1000 then pushed herself to raise $2000 so I’m still baking away), I thought it would be a good time to revisit my plethora of baking books and start pulling out random brownie recipes from them. If I can’t add “stuff” to the brownies, at least I can test out more recipes from the books I already have.

This was from a little-known, looks-to-be-out-of-print book, also by Lisa Yockelson. I honestly don’t remember how I acquired it; it’s been so long. Possibly in one of those little mom-and-pop used bookstores. I think it’s out of print, not just because it’s old, but also because some of the recipes have been reprinted in newer books.

It’s a good basic brownie recipe, not difficult to make, and bakes into a nice plain brownie. It isn’t as dense as her Truffled Walnut Brownies so if you want something a little lighter in texture but still not cakey, this is a good one to use. And of course, if you’re not under the restrictions I am, feel free to dress it up with frosting, Nutella swirls, caramel dollops, candy add-ins and the like. 

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cake flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
4 extra-large or large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9" x 9" square baking pan with foil and lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Whisk together all-purpose flour, cake flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.
3. Whisk the melted butter and melted chocolate in a bowl. Beat in the sugar, eggs and vanilla extract. Add in dry ingredients and stir to form a batter.
4. Pour and scrape the batter into the prepared pan, spread batter evenly. Bake for 30 to 33 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.
5. Cool the brownies completely in the pan on a wire rack before cutting and serving. 

Gooey Texas Skillet Cake

Gooey Texas Skillet Cake - made April 8, 2017 from The Cookie Rookie

I’m back waving my #madeintheUSA cast iron skillet around. Technically there’s probably no such thing as a “Texas Skillet Cake” since it really refers to a Texas Sheet Cake which is, uh, made in sheet cake form. But there are no rules about cakes that aren’t meant to be broken and this is a good way to break it.

I only made a half recipe since I don’t have a large skillet and, even at half-recipe, I still used two 6” cast iron skillets as well as a small ramekin to fit all the batter. You don’t want this to overflow and waste batter.

Like a regular Texas sheet cake, the batter is easy to make and so is the frosting which you pour over the cake while it’s still warm. The “gooey” part comes in when you dig into the cake. No need to underbake the cake (although you don’t want to overbake it either) because the frosting adds the gooeyness. The cake concaves in the middle under the weight of the frosting so when you stick that spoon in – and use a spoon because you don’t want to miss a crumb – the warm frosting over the warm cake pools into whatever space you created when you hooked in that spoonful. 

You can eat this plain or go for caloric gold and add a scoop of vanilla ice cream. If you use the 6” cast iron skillet, it’s definitely a dessert for 2 or even 3 chocoholics.

You can use a regular cake pan if you don’t have a cast iron skillet but I did like using the skillet because the edges got crisp and added a nice texture contrast to the softness of the insides of the cake and the sweet flow of the frosting. I never used to think cast iron skillets were good for baking cakes because they’re dark-colored and heavy metal, both traits that absorb heat quickly and I thought the outer edges of the cake would dry out before the middle was done. I think, because the skillet size I used was so small, that wasn’t an issue since the whole thing baked fairly evenly. 

One drawback to using the skillet though is you don’t want to leave the cake in the skillet if you don’t finish it all in one go. Cast iron skillets do take a little bit of babying to keep them in good shape. I transferred the uneaten cake to a plate, washed out the skillet and put it in a still-hot oven to dry. You don’t want to let it air dry or let water or moisture sit in it for too long or it can rust.

8 ounces butter (2 sticks), chopped
1 cup water
4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sour cream
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

Frosting
6 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
4 ounces unsalted butter
3 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar
3/4 cup pecan pieces

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 10-inch cast iron skillet or 2 6" skillets with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a medium saucepan, heat the water, cocoa and butter over medium heat. Bring to a boil then remove from the heat.
3. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. 
4. In a separate bowl, lightly whisk the eggs. Whisk in the sour cream and vanilla until combined. Pour egg mixture over flour mixture and stir with wooden spoon until combined.
5. Pour the chocolate mixture over flour mixture; whisk until combined and smooth. Pour mixture into skillet(s).
6. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out with moist crumbs.
7. While cake is baking, prepare frosting: in a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the milk, cocoa and butter. Bring to a boil.
8. Remove from the heat and add the powdered sugar. Use a hand mixer to beat the icing until fully smooth. Fold in pecans. Pour frosting over warm cake.

Levain Bakery Copycat Chocolate Chip Cookies #12 from A Bountiful Kitchen

Levain Bakery Copycat Chocolate Chip Cookies #12 - made dough April 7, 2017, modified from A Bountiful Kitchen

I’m back with the Levain Bakery copycat cookies for their chocolate chip cookies, not to be confused with my copycat attempts at their chocolate chocolate chip cookies. Since chocolate chip cookies was on offer for the treat bags for my niece’s fundraising donors, I allowed myself free rein to try new chocolate chip cookie recipes. I can usually tell if one will turn out and I have enough tricks in my arsenal to make sure it’ll be good enough for a goodie bag even if it’s my first time trying a recipe.

I’ve already posted most, if not all of the tricks, but to sum up:

Start with cold butter (and only butter, no margarine!), especially if you’re using a stand mixer. Butter warms up in the mixing/creaming process and if you start with room temperature butter, all the subsequent mixing can make your butter too warm and your dough oily.

Always portion out the dough balls then chill or freeze. Bake from frozen dough. This helps prevent them from spreading too much.

I added my own twist to all the new recipes I tried by substituting ¼ cup turbinado or raw cane sugar for ¼ cup of the granulated sugar. You don’t have to do that if you don’t have turbinado sugar on hand but I like it for the slight grit it gives the cookies as well as it seems to cut a little bit of the sweetness.

As always, err on the side of underbaking the cookies. If the edges are golden and the middles are just barely not raw anymore, it’s time to take the cookies out. Let them cool completely to get the best texture. I used to like chocolate chip cookies 10 minutes out of the oven but with my switch to thick, chewy, underbaked cookies, I find I like the texture best when it’s firmed and set up. An hour should be just right, if you can wait that long. The chips are still soft but the texture has set.

As copycats go, this made for a great chocolate chip cookie, although I don’t know that I would consider it a Levain copycat per se. But that’s partly because I’ve made so many copycats and it’s been awhile since I’ve had a Levain original chocolate chip cookie so my taste buds are confused. When I was in New York, I became so enamored of their chocolate chocolate chip that it eclipsed the regular chocolate chip cookie in my sensory memory. Still and all, I liked this cookie and I’d recommend it. Just watch that baking time. 

1 cup butter
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup turbinado sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup cake flour
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups chocolate chips

1. Cream butter and sugars on medium speed until blended and creamy, 2-3 minutes.
2. Add eggs, one a a time, and vanilla, beating briefly after each addition until just combined.
3. Scrape down sides of bowl. Combine cake flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl and whisk together. Add half of dry ingredients to butter mixture and beat until just combined. Add remaining dry ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined. Do not overbeat.
4. Fold in chocolate chips by hand. Portion dough into generous golf-ball-size dough balls or into 6-ounce portions for true Levain copycats. Cover and chill or freeze for several hours or overnight.
5. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and evenly space chilled or frozen dough balls on baking sheets,
6. Bake for 10-11 minutes or until edges are golden and top is barely set. Let cool on cookie sheets for 15 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.