The Baking Gene and Rose Levy Beranbaum's Chocolate Velvet Fudge Cake

My Mom is a self taught, home style baker. She makes the kinds of cookies, loaves, and bars people drool over just thinking about. I like to think I was lucky enough to get at least a slice of her baking gene. I hadn't really dabbled in cakes though. So as a young adult, out on my own for the first time, I decided I should start making some fancy and delicous cakes. Of course, my first purchase was The Cake Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum. The information and science behind her cakes was amazing, the directions so specific and the pictures were  mouth watering. How could I not become a master cake baker??

Well, I am no Rose. The cakes I tried were flat and no matter how I tried to fix them, I could not (often) get my cake to look like Rose's. I still believe The Cake Bible is one of the best cake books out there. I am still trying to create a Rose worthy cake from it. But I did question how big of a baking gene I inherited.

I found out a few days ago that Rose has a new book, Rose's Heavenly Cakes. Hmmm, I think to myself, could this be a book from which I could finally recreate a Rose perfect recipe??? I have chosen Rose's Chocolate Velvet Fudge Cake thanks to a contest and sprucetv.

The recipe, of course, was pretty exact.... 2 cups + 2 tb flour etc...as were the instructions that were down to the second. Yikes... will my 35 vs 30 seconds of mixing screw up this recipe? I'm already worried! A bead of sweat is forming on my perfectly shaped (I just got them waxed) brow but I perservere. The measuring, mixing, timing, and pouring is done. I open the oven door and place the fluted pan in the oven with just a slight bit of trepidation. Now, I have to wait at least 50 minutes...tick tock tick tock...sigh this is taking waaay too long but finally all 50 minutes pass by. I pull out the pan and ... well... it looks great. I put in a toothpick to see if it's done...it's not! It's still pretty goopy. I quickly pop it back in the oven. I should have known this would not be simple :) As I close the oven my husband asks if he can heat up some tortillas on the rack above my cake???? Seriously?? Has he not seen the sweat? The look of concern on my face all night?? He soon realizes the error of his ways and looks towards the microwave. Ding! Ten minutes are up. The cake still looks better than any other Rose cake I have attempted. The height is right and the smell is devine.

I wait the required 15 minutes before I turn over the pan, say a little prayer for it to come out in one piece and try to separate the pan from the cake....success! The cake is in one piece! It cools...slowly. Rose suggests dusting it with sugar or cocoa. I opt for the sugar and then drizzle it with a bit of chocolate icing.

IT LOOKS ROSE WORTHY!! I am impressed with not only myself but also Rose and her new Heavenly Cakes!

The final piece of the pie (or cake) is the taste test. I brought in my husband for this in order to make up for his microwaved dinner. He gives it his "yum" of approval. It is light, yet fudgy, sophisticated yet fun to eat, it is a truly beautiful cake. In fact, this cake has made me believe I really have inherited my Mom's baking gene. Thanks Rose.

Rainbow Veggie Salad with Orange Vinaigrette

From rainbow salad

My 5-year old daughter visited an urban farm a few months ago. While there she tasted some new (to her) veggies including kale and beets (which I'm also sure she would have hated if I put them in front of her :) Since then she has, off and on, mentioned this visit and her experience. When I suggested that we makeup a recipe with  the vegetables she tasted she jumped on the idea.

So this weekend we went to the market where she hand picked kale, beets, carrots and broccoli. She decided on a salad because she prefers most veggies raw (except the broccoli which she insisted on steaming). The many colours of the combined veggies reminded her of a rainbow so she named it "Rainbow Salad".

She also isn't a big fan of dressings as she doesn't like anything too tart thus the rather large amount of sweet orange juice. It was delicious!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup chopped kale
• 3 medium shredded raw beets
• 4 large shredded carrots
• 1 cup broccoli - slightly steamed
• 1 diced avocado

Dressing:

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup orange juice
• 1/8 cup white wine vinegar
• kosher salt
• pepper

What to do:
Toss vegetables in mixing large bowl.
Combine dressing ingredients. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Lightly mix veggies with dressing. Plate and serve!

Although this is a great salad the moment you make it, I thought it was even better the next day as the veggies had a better opportunity to marinate in with the dressing.

Pomegranate Chicken Soup

So many of us have a freezer full of turkey or chicken stock after the holidays...I use it in stirfrys, risottos and soups! Especially in the cold days of winter there is nothing better than a bowl of heartwarming soup. Rather than make a big pot of one soup, I freeze my stock in smaller containers so I can make a new soup every night or two.

My last soup was chicken with bok choy and pomegranate seeds! It was fantastic. The few ingredients means I can whip it up in no time at all. I just added left over chicken and freshly chopped bok choy to the stock and heated it up. When I dished it, I added a handful of pomegrante seeds. The bok choy is tender crisp and the seeds add a great bit of freshness and sweetness which plays well off my stock which is generally a bit spicy.

The green and red colours also make a great presentation. Try it. I bet you'll like it!

Newfoundland Dip

The Christmas party season means dips, dips and more dips. Here's one that might look a bit strange on paper but in your mouth it works perfectly! I don't have a picture because it was devoured before I had a chance!

Newfoundland Dip

Mix all of the ingredients below in medium bowl.

1/2 cup mayonaise or miracle whip

2 tbsp ketchup

2 tbsp honey

2 tbsp onion flakes

1/2 tsp curry

7 drops of tabasco sauce

Salt to taste.

Great with veggies especially celery, carrots and peppers.

Pine nut and Cranberry Granola

This is a great recipe that can be changed up to suit your mood - substitute different nuts, spices, or dried fruit depending on what's in your pantry!

From granola

Ingredients3.5 cups large flake oats
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1 cup cashews
1 cup pine nuts
3/4 sweetened shredded coconut
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup maple syrup
3/4 teaspoon salt
1.5 tsp vanilla
1 cup craisins or other dried fruit

Directions
Preheat oven to 275 degrees.

Mix oats, all nuts, coconut, cinnamon and brown sugar in a large bowl.
In another bowl stir together oil, honey, maple syrup, salt and vanilla.

Add oil mixture into dry ingedient bowl and mix until combined.
Spread mixture evenly over two large cookie sheets lined with parchment or silpats.

Put in oven and bake for about 65 - 75 minutes. Stir every 15 minutes to ensure even browning. Keep an eye on them during the last 15 minutes as they can go from brown to burnt quite quickly. Take out of oven and cool for ten minutes. Put granola in large bowl and add craisins. Mix. Once cooled place in air tight container. Enjoy on its own or with yogourt.

From granola

Deconstructed Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwich

From deconstructed peanut butter and banana

I have to admit one trend I have not enjoyed in the world of food is deconstruction!  I know, I know some say deconstruction isn't just about taking a dish apart but putting the pieces into a new form.  But really, if I want a salad, I don't want to have to cut up the head of lettuce myself, mix the dressing and make my own croutons...I'm paying for someone to make my dinner for me and serve it so all I have to do is eat it....otherwise I can stay at home. I'm sure there are amazing deconstructed dishes out there, it's just not my thing. And the new thing of deconstructed drinks!??! Don't get me started!

Anyhoo, I told you this because I am admitting that I made a deconstructed meal the other night. My 5 year old daughter is usually a good eater as long as it doesn't involve any form of a potato (not even a french fry!). But, of course, the one night I am beyond tired and slightly cranky she decides that she wants nothing to do with the meal we had planned.

From deconstructed peanut butter and banana

I decided to be nice and I offered to make her a pb and j sandwich for dinner instead ... she refused. Normally, that would have been my final offer figuring when she got hungry enough she'd come around but I decided to try a different tactic. I cut up a banana, melted some peanut butter in a small bowl, cut up a tortilla and added a toothpick... stuck it on a plate and offered up a "deconstructed peanut butter and banana sample platter"... I've learned that if I don't call it "dinner" my kids are more interested in it ... sometimes. I am proud to say it worked! The plate was wiped clean, there were no tantrums (from me or her), and bellies were full. I didn't cure a disease, find a lost civilization or write a best seller but I did get my daughter to eat a nutritious dinner... a success in my book!

Brown Sugar & Walnut Coffee Cake

Of all the baking I do, this is by far the most requested recipe. It is my Mom's recipe. It is the perfect coffee cake - not too cakey, but not dry. As my husband says, the cake is not so sweet or fluffy that it makes you feel guilty about having it for breakfast! The brown sugar topping that is scattered in the middle and the top is delicious and nutty. In all honesty, I often double the topping because you can't have too much of it! The icing drizzled on top adds the perfect extra sweetness to this amazing coffee cake.

From brown sugared coffee cake

From brown sugared coffee cake

From brown sugared coffee cake

From brown sugared coffee cake

From brown sugared coffee cake

Topping:
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp flour
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp melted butter
1/2 walnuts

Mix all of the above together and let stand.

Batter:
1/4 cup buttter
3/4 cup whte sugar
3/4 cup milk
1 egg slightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla
1.5 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Icing:
1/4 cup commercially prepared icing

Cake:
Cream butter and sugar for three minutes.
Add egg and vanilla.
In another bowl sift or whick together flour, baking powder and salt.
Add sifted ingredients, alternately with milk (3 flour: 2 milk) and mix with each addition..
Put 1/2 batter into greased tube pan.
Add half of topping.
Add rest of batter.
Add rest of topping spreading evenly.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
Cool cake 10 minutes, remove from pan and flip so topping side faces up.
Ice while still warm by microwaving it for 10 seconds and then drizzling over cake (I know commercially prepared icing will make some of you revolt but seriously after years of making this cake it is exactly what it needs).