Heavenly Bakers: True Orange Genoise Cake

I have to admit that this week's cake was not my favorite. I loved the Seville orange curd but the cake itself was a bit dry. Maybe I didn't put enough of the syrup, but I think I would have liked it better as a three layer cake with two layers of the curd to give it more moisture. Also, as much as I love the combination of orange and chocolate I thought the ganache competed with the flavors of delicate cake. I will make the curd again but will use it in other applications.

Sadly, this is going to be my last cake as part of the Heavenly Cake Bakers. It has been a great experience, but with everything else going on it is just too much. I have enjoyed baking through this book but I am finding that baking these two cakes a month has become a source of stress rather than enjoyment and is not leaving me enough time to make the recipes and experiment with new ideas as much as I want. I will continue to read about the adventures of the wonderful cake bakers and hope you will keep up with the other things I am baking as well.

Tasty Lumps

There is nothing like reorganizing the pantry to set me going in the kitchen. I have a bad habit of making shopping lists without checking the pantry first and then buying things impulsively when I am in the store. That is why in the reorganization I found things like three entire bags of dried chick peas. And a dozen cans of tomatoes. I keep buying them meaning to cook them then a few weeks later will forget about them and buy more. In an effort to make a dent in all the stored food around here we had chana masala for dinner.

More exciting than the chickpeas and a canned tomatoes was a bag of macadamia nuts that I found hiding behind the pistachios since my last trip to Trader Joe's. As soon as I saw them all I could think of was making macadamia nut cookies. Because parve white chocolate isn't as delicious and luscious as real good quality white chocolate my plan was to take a white chocolate macadamia nut cookie recipe and use other additions instead of the white chocolate. Imagine my shock when I turned to my handy Mrs. Fields cookie book (the first cookbook I ever owned myself) and found that there wasn't a recipe for white chocolate macadamia nut cookies. I was surprised because I remember the original Mrs Fields store in Palo Alto (before it was an international franchise) and I know they sold them. Maybe they weren't popular enough to make it into the book. However, there was a recipe for lemon macadamia nut cookies that caught my eye, especially since it didn't even call for white chocolate.

The cookies are very tasty. I like the contrast of the lemon flavor with the rich macadamia nuts. My cookies didn't spread at all, which is why I am calling them "tasty lumps". They stayed pretty much exactly the shape they were when I put them on the cookie sheet. For some reason the last 6 cookies I made (the ones that didn't fit in the oven with the first batch) spread more and looked like the ones in the picture so I don't know if it was a temperature thing, or just because of the type of margarine I used to make them parve. They weren't my favorite cookie, by any means, but they were a nice change. (Maybe the original version is better than my parve adaptation). In my opinion the cookies are best still slightly warm. I would make them again but next time will press the dough down a bit before baking to get a better shape. I used lemon oil to flavor them, but I bet they would be great with lime oil too.

Lemon Macadamia Nut Cookies (Adapted from the Mrs. Fields Best Cookie Book Ever)
Yield: About 2 1/2 dozen

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup (4 oz) salted margarine (I used earth balance organic whipped buttery spread)
4 oz tofutti cream cheese, softened
1 large egg
2 teaspoons lemon extract or 1/2 teaspoon lemon oil
7 oz whole roasted salted macadamia nuts (about 1 1/2 cups)

Preheat the oven to 300. In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt.
Place both sugars in the bowl of the electric mixer and beat until combined. Add margarine and cream cheese and beat until the mixture forms a smooth paste. Add the egg and lemon extract and beat until combined. Add the flour mixture and macadamia nuts and mix on low speed until just combined.

Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Drop tablespoon sized balls of cookie dough 2 inches apart on the cookie sheet. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes. Check after 10 minutes. If the cookies don't look like they are spreading press the tops down gently and continue cooking until set. They won't brown on top, but the bottoms will be lightly browned. Immediately move the cookies onto a wire rack and cool.

Gramercy Tavern Gingerbread

This recipe, originally published in Gourmet magazine in Feburary 2000, has caught my attention several times over the years but for one reason or another I never got around to making it. I even bought the beer to make it more than a year ago and then it just sat in the liquor cabinet because neither of us are really Guinness drinkers. When I was looking through recipes to make for this month's Gourmet, unbound I decided it was high time to make this gingerbread. It also gave me an opportunity to try my new decorative mini-bundt pan that my wonderful husband bought me on a whim when I dragged him into my favorite baking supply store.

The gingerbread is very moist with a nice dark molasses and spice flavor. The beer flavor isn't specifically noticeable but it adds depth to the cake. The recipe calls for a pinch of cardamom and I couldn't taste it at all so I think I will try a bit more next time. I am not sure if this is my favorite gingerbread recipe of all time, but it certainly was tasty. I would absolutely make it again. I didn't make any adaptations to the recipe except to shorten the baking time because I made mini-cakes, so instead of retyping the recipe it can be found here.

Tu B'Shevat Cookies

Saturday is Tu B'Shevat, the Jewish holiday celebrating the New Year of the trees. As a kid growing up in Northern California we always held our Tu B'shevat seder outside on the grass and then planted new trees in the back yard. The first bulbs of spring would be beginning to bloom and it was the perfect time of year to plant new trees. I have to admit it that it is a bit harder to feel that kind of tangible connection when I looked out my window this morning and realized that it was snowing, but I love Tu B'Shevat here nonetheless.   It is traditional on Tu B'Shevat to eat fruits and grains that come from the land of Israel. I like eating all the different fruits and nuts commonly served at a Tu B'Shevat seder, but I have to admit I like cookies even more. That's why I decided to make Tu B'shevat themed cookies to have in addition to the fruits and nuts.


Almonds are one of the foods most commonly associated with the holiday because the almond trees bloom in Israel right around this time of year. Because of that I decided that an almond linzer cookie filled with etrog jam would be the perfect thing. There is a custom of eating etrog jam or preserves on Tu B'Shevat. It is said that is brings the blessing of fertility so if that isn't what you are looking for, or you simply don't have any etrog preserves in the house, feel free to use any other good quality jam or preserves.


Almond Linzer Cookies

1 1/2 cups slivered almonds (about 5 ounces), toasted and cooled
2 1/3 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) chilled margarine, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup etrog preserves (or any other jam or marmalade)

Powdered sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine nuts and 1/3 cup flour in processor; process until finely ground nuts. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer. Add remaining 2 cups flour and next 3 ingredients to the bowl and mix until combined. Add the margarine and using an electric mixer at low speed, blend ingredients until coarse meal forms (this will take several minutes). Add egg yolks and vanilla. Beat until moist clumps form. Gather dough into ball. Roll out the dough on sheet of parchment paper until it is 1/3 inch thick. Cut out cookies using a round cookie cutter. Using a small cookie cutter or the back of a cake decorating tip cut a small window in the center of half the cookies. Transfer cookies to parchment lined baking sheets, leaving 2 inches between them. Re-roll the scraps and cut out more cookies in the same way.

Bake cookies for 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Let stand one minute and then transfer to a cooling rack.

Once completely cool place a teaspoon of preserves on top of each solid cookie and top with a cut-out cookie. Dust the tops with powdered sugar, if desired.

My First Daring Bakers Challenge

I am very excited to have joined the Daring Bakers. I have been reading many of their wonderful blogs for quite a while now and I am so happy to be joining in on the fun. In honor of the upcoming winter olympics in Canada this month's challenge was Nanaimo bars, a three layer bar that is a classic Canadian dessert. The bars consist of a base made with graham crackers, cocoa and nuts topped by a layer of custard and topped with chocolate. This challenge had two parts. The first was to make homemade graham crackers to use in the base and the second part was to make the actual bars. There was an option to make them gluten free, but I couldn't find kosher brands of all the different flours needed for the recipe so I made standard wheat graham crackers.


I have to say that for me the graham crackers were by far the standout hit of the whole project. I absolutely loved them! I have been wanting to try homemade graham crackers for a while, and they are fantastic. They are to store-bought graham crackers what homemade marshmallows are to store-bought marshmallows, and my readers certainly know how I feel about that. I have already made them again, they were that good. We all couldn't stop eating them (well, except for my two year old who took one bite and asked for a store-bought graham cracker instead). Stay tuned, homemade mallomars coming up soon!


Since I had never had a Nanaimo bar I wanted to see how my parve version stacked up to the original so I took them to Shabbat dinner at the home of a Canadian friend. They gave them the seal of approval and said they tasted authentic, so that is good enough for me. I thought the bars were good, but very sweet. They weren't my favorite as is, but I think I would have liked a flavor variation like mint or peanut butter better. Maybe next time. They weren't something I would have chosen on my own so I am glad to have had the opportunity to try them. Check out all the other daring baker's creations here.

Graham Cracker Recipe (adapted from Nancy Silverton's Pastries from the La Brea Bakery via 101cookbooks)

2 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons unbleached pastry flour or unbleached all-purpose flour

1 cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

7 tablespoons (3 1/2 ounces) unsalted margarine, cut into 1-inch cubes and frozen

1/3 cup mild-flavored honey, such as clover

5 tablespoons soymilk

2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract

For the topping:

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade or in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. Pulse or mix on low to incorporate. Add the margarine and pulse on and off on and off, or mix on low, until the mixture is the consistency of a coarse meal.

In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, soymilk, and vanilla extract. Add to the flour mixture and pulse on and off a few times or mix on low until the dough barely comes together. It will be very soft and sticky.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and pat the dough into a rectangle about 1 inch thick. Wrap in plastic and chill until firm, about 2 hours or overnight.

To prepare the topping: In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon, and set aside.

Divide the dough in half and return one half to the refrigerator. Sift an even layer of flour onto the work surface and roll the dough into a long rectangle about 1/8 inch thick. The dough will be sticky, so flour as necessary. Trim the edges of the rectangle to 4 inches wide. Working with the shorter side of the rectangle parallel to the work surface, cut the strip every 4 1/2 inches to make 4 crackers. Gather the scraps together and set aside. Place the crackers on one or two parchment-lined baking sheets and sprinkle with the topping. Chill until firm, about 30 to 45 minutes. Repeat with the second batch of dough.

Adjust the oven rack to the upper and lower positions and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Gather the scraps together into a ball, chill until firm, and reroll. Dust the surface with more flour and roll out the dough to get about two or three more crackers.

Mark a vertical line down the middle of each cracker, being careful not to cut through the dough. Using a toothpick or skewer, prick the dough to form two dotted rows about 1/2 inch for each side of the dividing line.

Bake for 25 minutes, until browned and slightly firm to the tough, rotating the sheets halfway through to ensure even baking.

Yield: 10 large crackers

Nanaimo Bars (from the city of Nanaimo website)

Bottom Layer

1/2 cup  (4 ounces) unsalted margarine

1/4 cup (1.8 oz) granulated sugar

5 tablespoons  unsweetened cocoa powder

1 Large egg, lightly beaten

1 1/4 cups (5.6 ounces) Graham cracker crumbs (See previous recipe)

1/2 cup  (2 ounces) Almonds (Any type, Finely chopped)

1 cup  (4.5 ounces) Coconut (Shredded, sweetened or unsweetened)

Middle Layer

1/4 cup (2 ounces) Unsalted margarine

¼ cup (2 oz) tofutti cream cheese

2 tablespoons (40 mL) Soymilk

2 tablespoons (30 mL) Vanilla pudding mix

2 cups (8.9 ounces) Powdered sugar

Top Layer

6 ounces Semi-sweet chocolate

3 tablespoons  (1.5 ounces) Unsalted Margarine

For the bottom layer: Melt margarine, sugar and cocoa in top of a double boiler. Add egg and stir to cook and thicken. Remove from heat. Stir in crumbs, nuts and coconut. Press firmly into an ungreased 8 by 8 inch pan.

For the middle layer: Cream margarine, cream cheese, soymilk, pudding powder, and powdered sugar together. Beat until light in color. Spread over bottom layer.

For the top layer: Melt chocolate and unsalted butter over low heat. Cool. Once cool, pour over middle layer and chill.

Note: I found these bars difficult to cut without breaking the topping. I highly recommend using a hot knife, wiped off between cuts, to get nicer looking bars.

Snickerdoodles, the forgotten cookie

Snickerdoodles are a cookie that I often, regretfully, forget about when deciding on a cookie to make. (chocolate and peanut butter are usually the major players in this house). Before this week it had been ages since I had them. When a friend asked me to make snickerdoodles for his senior sermon I happily obliged, and boy am I glad I did. Deceptively simple yet alluringly delicious I found it hard to restrain myself from eating them all. I remembered how much I love these cookies, and have been kicking myself for forgetting about them. Crispy on the edges, chewy in the center and completely coated in cinnamon sugar, these are the perfect cookie jar cookie. I won't be forgetting that again.


Snickerdoodles (I have had this recipe on my computer so long I have no idea where it originally came from)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup margarine, softened

1/2 cup shortening (I use Spectrum Organic)

2 eggs

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 teaspoons granulated sugar

Using an electric mixer cream together the margarine, shortening and sugar. Add eggs and beat until thoroughly combined.

In a separate bowl, combine all dry ingredients except the 2 tablespoons sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon listed last. Mix the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture.

Refrigerate the dough for at least 15 minutes (this makes it easier to handle). While the dough chills, stir the 2 tablespoons of sugar and the 2 teaspoons of cinnamon together in a bowl.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Form dough into balls the size of small walnuts (I use a tablespoon cookie scoop). Roll the dough balls in the sugar/cinnamon mixture.

Place 2 inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 8 minutes, rotating the cookie sheet in the oven at the halfway point. They are done when they look puffed in the middle and slightly brown at the edges (the tops of the cookies will form cracks). Be careful not to overcook.

Remove cookie sheet from the oven and let cookies sit on it for another minute or so before removing to cooling rack; cookies will flatten out as they cool.

Yield: This recipe makes about 3 dozen cookies

Horchata Rice Pudding

It seems like no matter how much food we order for take out from our favorite Chinese restaurant they decide we need enough rice for a dozen people. Inevitably the huge box of leftover rice sits in the back of the fridge until it is suitably unappetizing and I can justify throwing it away. Occasionally I make it into fried rice, but we try to eat meals that are mostly protein and vegetables, rather than things like white rice, so I am hesitant to make a meal that is mostly white rice. I hate to waste food, but most of the time that rice just sits. This week I decided it was time to find a better solution.

This rice pudding is a great way to use up some of that leftover rice. Subtly sweet yet deliciously satisfying, it is an ultimate comfort dessert. The combination of rice, almond milk and cinnamon reminded me of Horchata, hence the name, but the pudding would be good with other spices or the addition of raisins as well. It isn't quite as creamy as rice pudding made from uncooked Arborio rice, but I thought it was plenty creamy. I also think it would be great made with less sugar for breakfast as an alternative to other hot cereals. I still have half of that giant box of rice in my fridge, so I may be trying that tomorrow morning.

Horchata Rice Pudding

2 cups leftover cooked white rice

3 cups almond milk

1/2 cup sugar

small pinch salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon Vietnamese cinnamon, or to taste (use a bit more if using regular cinnamon)

Combine cooked rice, milk, sugar and salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer cook, stirring occasionally, until almost all of the milk is absorbed (30-45 minutes, depending on how absorbent your rice is). Stir in vanilla and cinnamon.

Divide rice pudding into individual serving dishes serve warm.

Makes 4-6 servings.