Orange Marsala pound cake

Many, many years ago, without much thought, I started baking a cake every weekend, and it has become a tradition here in my house: if I don’t see a cake cooling over a wire rack on a Saturday it just doesn’t feel like the weekend.

Sometimes I struggle with choosing which cake to make, either because I have too many ideas at once or because I don’t have any. :) Weeks ago I was cooking lunch and as I poured some Marsala over the broccolini I immediately thought of adding it to a cake. After we finished eating I found an orange in my fridge and the flavor of the cake was then decided – just like that. Inspiration coming from all sorts of places – I like that a lot.

This is a moist, delicious and fragrant cake, one that I once made with whisky and nutmeg and that it turned out even more fantastic with a touch of citrus and Marsala.

Do you like making cakes on the weekend? What is your favorite cake flavor?

Orange Marsala pound cake
slightly adapted from the delicious Pure Dessert: True Flavors, Inspiring Ingredients, and Simple Recipes

2 tablespoons whole milk, room temperature
2 tablespoons Marsala wine
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
150g granulated sugar
finely grated zest of 1 large orange
105g cake flour (homemade: 15g corn starch + 90g all purpose flour)
55g whole wheat flour
¾ teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon table salt
180g unsalted butter, softened and in chunks

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Lightly butter a 4 to 5 cups loaf pan, line it with baking paper and butter the paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk the milk, Marsala, eggs, and vanilla to combine.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine sugar and orange zest and rub with your fingertips until sugar is fragrant. Whisk in the flours, baking powder and salt. Add the butter then pour in half of the egg mixture. Beat on low speed just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Increase the speed to medium and beat for 1 minute. Scrape the sides of the bowl. Add half of the rest of the egg mixture and beat for 20 seconds. Add the rest of the egg mixture and beat for 20 seconds. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.

Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the surface. Bake until golden and risen and a toothpick comes out clean, 55-60 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan for 20 minutes, unmold carefully and transfer to a wire rack. Cool completely, then peel off the paper.

Serves 8-10

Whisky and nutmeg pound cake

I know, I know, there’s nothing “healthy” about whisky, but I believe that there is nothing wrong with adding a bit of alcohol to your cooking and baking occasionally – I can’t cook risotto without a splash of white wine, and beer can do wonders to a beef recipe (my bolognese sauce turned into something even more delicious after I started adding red wine to it).

All that written by someone who once made a cake drenched in rum. :D

The cake I bring you today has a lot less alcohol, but it is very flavorsome still and I bumped into the recipe because I wanted to bake something with whole wheat flour – my first thought was to bake bread, but when I checked the whole wheat flour container it was almost empty. Alice Medrich’s cake was then a very good choice, since the recipe called less than ½ cup of flour. It turned out tender and delicious – as all cakes should be – and with a beautiful golden hue.

I thought the cake was great with a cup of tea (it was a cold weekend), but I am sure it would be wonderful served with whipped cream and berries or fresh fruit, as the plated trifles Nigella makes, for a summery dessert. Or with vanilla ice cream topped with chocolate sauce, or salted caramel sauce.

Ok, I’ll stop. :)

Whisky and nutmeg pound cake
slightly adapted from the delicious Pure Dessert

2 tablespoons whole milk, room temperature
1 tablespoon whisky
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
105g cake flour (homemade: 15g corn starch + 90g all purpose flour)
55g whole wheat flour
150g granulated sugar
¾ teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon table salt
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
180g unsalted butter, softened and in chunks

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Lightly butter a 4 to 5 cups loaf pan, line it with baking paper and butter the paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk the milk, whisky, eggs, and vanilla to combine.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, whisk the flours, sugar, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt. Add the butter then pour in half of the egg mixture. Beat on low speed just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Increase the speed to medium and beat for 1 minute. Scrape the sides of the bowl. Add half of the rest of the egg mixture and beat for 20 seconds. Add the rest of the egg mixture and beat for 20 seconds. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.
Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the surface. Bake until golden and risen and a toothpick comes out clean, 55-60 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan for 20 minutes, unmold carefully and transfer to a wire rack. Cool completely, then peel off the paper.

Serves 8-10

Orange olive oil pound cake and trying new things

From time to time I catch myself trying to be more creative in the kitchen, trying to use different kinds of flour, for instance, or to use more vegetables and less meat. Lately it has been a little less temporary than it used to be, I’ve been thinking of incorporating healthier food in between my cakes and cookies, or at least try new ways of making good old favorites, even if for flavor only. Don’t know the reason why it happened, but I hope I manage to succeed.

I’ve been browsing many blogs and there’s so much out there to be tried and tasted, like the beautiful chocolate cake I saw this morning. There are so many ways of preparing the food I love, it’s a shame not to try them, even if in the end I settle for the old school ways I will be happy to have tried something new.

Amidst so much information, I ended up reaching for a very reliable source, someone whose recipes always turn delicious and I can bake with my eyes closed: Alice Medrich. Her olive oil pound cake sounded so good, I loved the idea of using olive oil instead of butter – I know it’s nothing new but it’s something I seldom do, I usually rely heavily on butter.

To make the cake even moister, I replaced some of the all purpose flour with almond meal and added the zest of 1 orange because orange cakes are really out of this world – this is no exception.

Orange olive oil pound cake
slightly adapted from Sinfully Easy Delicious Desserts

170g unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
30g almond meal
1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
finely grated zest of 1 large orange
1/8 teaspoon table salt
½ cup (120ml) flavorful extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 small eggs, cold
½ cup (120ml) whole milk, room temperature

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Lightly butter a 20x10cm (8x4in) loaf pan, line it with baking paper and butter the paper as well.
Sift the flour and baking powder together, stir in the almond meal and set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, mix the sugar and orange zest and rub them together with your fingertips until the sugar is fragrant. Add the salt, oil, and vanilla and, using the whisk attachment, whisk until well blended. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, then continue to beat until the mixture is thick and pale, 3-5 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally. On low speed, beat in the dry ingredients in three additions, alternating with the milk (start and end with the dry ingredients).
Transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour or until golden and risen and a cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a rack for about 15 minutes, then carefully unmold onto the rack and cool completely. Remove the cake when the cake is cool.

Serves 6-8

Cocoa-marzipan pound cake and a trailer that changed my mind

This morning I found out that there will be a TV show about Commissioner Gordon's life way before Batman and I have to say that the idea did not seem very interesting to me at first; however, after I watched the trailer, I changed my mind completely (again, the joy of a perfectly put together trailer!).

I cannot wait to see how the villains will be portrayed, and I got especially impressed by Robin Taylor – I don’t think that I have watched anything with him, but that crazy look on his face, the nose and the hair look so perfect for Penguin the he won my heart over. I’ll just forget that Jada Pinkett Smith managed to suck in less than five seconds onscreen and consider this a perfect trailer. :)

And if I’m willing to forget one or two details that aren’t so great on what I’ve seen of Gotham, I won’t do the same with the almond paste I have in my freezer: there was some left from making Sarah Carey’s cookies, so I used it in David Lebovitz’ cake – as you can see, just as a TV show my kitchen is packed with celebrities. ;)

Cocoa-marzipan pound cake
slightly adapted from here

1 ½ cups (210g) all-purpose flour
½ cup (45g) unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon table salt
¾ cup (200g/7 ounces) almond paste – I used homemade, recipe here
1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
1 cup (226g/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 teaspoons Amaretto
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 large eggs, room temperature
½ cup (120ml) whole milk, room temperature
½ cup sliced almonds (optional)

Preheat oven to 160°C/325°F. Butter two 21cm (8½in) loaf pans and dust with flour, tapping out excess.
In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat almond paste and sugar until almond paste is broken up into very fine pieces. Add butter and beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in Amaretto and vanilla.
Stir in half of the dry ingredients, then the milk. Then mix in the remaining dry ingredients.
Divide batter between the prepared pans and smooth tops of the cakes.
Evenly sprinkle tops with sliced almonds. Bake cakes for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Cool completely in the pans over a wire rack.

These cakes will keep up to 3 days at room temperature, or if double-wrapped, can be frozen for up to 1 month.

Makes 2 loaves– a piece of advice from me: don’t halve the recipe – just make the two cakes. They’re so delicious one will be gone so fast you’ll regret not making the two loaves. :D

Back from vacation with fresh orange pound cake with passion fruit icing

Hey, everyone!

After a couple of weeks on vacation I am back home, tired and immensely happy. I haven’t baked in a while but have a delicious cake recipe to share with you today, something I prepared weeks ago and that turned out really good. The passion fruit icing is completely optional: in fact, I personally liked the cake better without it.

Oh, and I’ll be answering your questions and emails over the next few days. :)

Fresh orange pound cake with passion fruit icing
adapted from the wonderful and delicious Desserts from the Famous Loveless Cafe

Cake:
1 ¾ sticks (198g) unsalted butter, softened
1 ¾ cups (350g) granulated sugar
finely grated zest of 2 large oranges
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
2 ¼ cups (315g) all purpose flour
¼ teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
½ cup sour cream*
1 ½ tablespoons orange juice

Glaze:
2 cups (280g) icing sugar
2-3 tablespoons passion fruit juice, more if necessary

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Butter two 20x10x5cm (8x4x2in) loaf pans, line them with baking paper and butter the paper as well.
In the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter, sugar, zest and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, followed by the yolks, beating well after each addition. Scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally. Sift the flour, baking soda and salt over the bowl, add the sour cream and juice and fold together by hand. Transfer the batter to the prepared pans.
Bake for about 45 minutes or until the cakes are golden and risen and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pans over a wire rack for 10-15 minutes then carefully unmold onto the rack. Peel off the paper. Cool completely.
Make the glaze: sift the icing sugar into a medium bowl, add the passion fruit juice gradually, mixing until desire consistency. Drizzle over the cooled cakes.

* homemade sour cream: to make 1 cup of sour cream, mix 1 cup (240ml) heavy cream with 2-3 teaspoons lemon juice in a bowl. Whisk until it starts to thicken. Cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for 1 hour or until thicker (I usually leave mine on the counter overnight – except on very warm nights – and it turns out thick and silky in the following morning; refrigerate for a creamier texture)

Makes 2 loaves (serves 6 each)

Pistachio polenta pound cake

People usually ask me for advice in baking and cooking and one thing I always tell them is to read the entire recipe before actually making it: it is important to know all the details prior to preparation. That is something I learned the hard way: I can’t tell you how many times I’d already be making something, looking forward to eating it only to read “refrigerate overnight” in the middle of the recipe. :S
Having said that, because of this pistachio and polenta cake I might start recommending reading the recipe twice: I did read the recipe and, knowing I had all the ingredients at home I went to the kitchen to make it. Oven preheated and ingredients before me, I started making the recipe only to read “whisk the yogurt and cornmeal in a medium bowl and let it stand for 45 minutes”. My brain or my eyes somehow skipped that piece of information, and I had to go back to the couch and wait longer to have a slice of this beauty – at least it tasted great and it was worth the waiting. :D

Pistachio polenta pound cake
from the absolutely great Cake Keeper Cakes

1 ½ cups (390g) plain yogurt
1 cup yellow cornmeal
2 cups (280g) all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups (195g) shelled unsalted pistachios
¾ cup (170g) unsalted butter, softened
1 ½ cups (300g) granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whisk the yogurt and cornmeal in a medium bowl and let it stand for 45 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Butter and flour a 12-cup capacity Bundt pan.
Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.
Grind ¾ cup (97g) of the pistachios finely in a food processor (grind them with a couple of tablespoons of the flour mixture to avoid turning the nuts into a paste). Add the pistachio meal to the dry ingredients. Coarsely chop the remaining pistachios.
Place the butter and sugar in the large bowl of an electric mixer and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. On medium speed, add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl occasionally. Beat in the vanilla.
On low speed, add the dry ingredients in three additions alternating with the yogurt mixture in two additions. Mix just until incorporated. Stir in the chopped pistachios.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake until risen and golden and a skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, 45-50 minutes. Cool in the pan over a wire rack for 10-15 minutes then carefully invert it onto the rack. Cool completely before serving.

Serves 10-12

Orange cardamom pound cake with candied orange peel + a question

I made this cake months ago but waited until now to publish it to avoid bothering you with my too-much-candied-orange-peel drama. The recipe was a simple orange cake – which is something I love – spiced with a bit of cardamom – which is something I’ve learned to love – and I just added the bits of candied peel because I no longer wanted to look at them every time I opened my fridge. So it is completely up to you to decide how you want to bake this cake – I just urge you to do it, because it is delicious and oh, so tender.

And speaking of pound cakes, I’m looking for a good 9x5in loaf pan and would love to know there’s a brand you would recommend; I’ve browsed some at Amazon but haven’t chosen yet – your opinion would be very useful to me. Thanks!

Orange cardamom pound cake with candied orange peel
slightly adapted from the great The Art and Soul of Baking

Cake:
2 cups (240g) cake flour*
½ teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
¾ cup (1½ sticks/170g) unsalted butter, softened
finely grated zest of 1 orange
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup sour cream**
1/3 cup drained and chopped candied orange peel (optional – recipe here)

Glaze:
1 cup (140g) confectioners’ sugar
½ to 1 tablespoon orange juice, or more if necessary

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F and position an oven rack in the center. Butter a 21x11cm (8½x4½ in) loaf pan and line with baking paper; butter the paper as well.
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.
In the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter, sugar, zest and cardamom until light and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl with the spatula.
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. Scrape the bowl occasionally. On low speed, add the sifted ingredients in three additions alternating with the sour cream in two additions (begin and end with the dry ingredients). Stir in the candied orange zest (if using). Transfer batter to prepared pan, smooth the top then bake for 45-55 minutes, until firm to touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to a rack to cool completely. When cool, remove from the pan and peel off the paper.

Glaze: sift the confectioners’ sugar into a small bowl and gradually add the orange juice, stirring until desired consistency. Pour over the cooled cake. Set aside for 30 minutes before serving.

* homemade cake flour: 1 cup (140g) all purpose flour minus 2 tablespoons + 2 tablespoons corn starch

** homemade sour cream: to make 1 cup of sour cream, mix 1 cup (240ml) heavy cream with 2-3 teaspoons lemon juice in a bowl. Whisk until it starts to thicken. Cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for 1 hour or until thicker (I usually leave mine on the counter overnight – except on very warm nights – and it turns out thick and silky in the following morning; refrigerate for a creamier texture)

Serves 6-8

Fresh lemon pound cake

Babies are cute and adorable but they’re also a handful – their moms usually do not have time for anything else but them. A very good friend of mine is the mother of a beautiful baby boy and when she invited me to first visit her son I knew I could not go empty handed: besides a present for the baby I brought a freshly baked cake for her, too (which she told me later made a wonderful breakfast). :)

Loaf cakes are easy to package and carry around – to me they are the perfect picnic fare – and this recipe turned out to be a great choice for the occasion: not only because the cake was delicious and very, very tender but also because the recipe yielded two loaves – one got sent to my friend and the other was enjoyed by yours truly. :D

Fresh lemon pound cake
from the wonderful and delicious Desserts from the Famous Loveless Cafe

Cake:
1 ¾ sticks (198g) unsalted butter, softened
1 ¾ cups (350g) granulated sugar
finely grated zest of 3 lemons
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
2 ¼ cups (315g) all purpose flour
¼ teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
½ cup sour cream*
1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice

Glaze:
2 cups (280g) icing sugar
2-3 tablespoons lemon juice, more if necessary

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Butter two 20x10x5cm (8x4x2in) loaf pans, line them with baking paper and butter the paper as well.
In the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter, sugar, lemon zest and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, followed by the yolks, beating well after each addition. Scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally. Sift the flour, baking soda and salt over the bowl, add the sour cream and lemon juice and fold together by hand. Transfer the batter to the prepared pans.
Bake for about 45 minutes or until the cakes are golden and risen and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pans over a wire rack for 10-15 minutes then carefully unmold onto the rack. Peel off the paper. Cool completely.
Make the glaze: sift the icing sugar into a medium bowl, add the lemon juice gradually, mixing until desire consistency. Drizzle over the cooled cakes.

* homemade sour cream: to make 1 cup of sour cream, mix 1 cup (240ml) heavy cream with 2-3 teaspoons lemon juice in a bowl. Whisk until it starts to thicken. Cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for 1 hour or until thicker (I usually leave mine on the counter overnight – except on very warm nights – and it turns out thick and silky in the following morning; refrigerate for a creamier texture)

Makes 2 loaves (serves 6 each)

Cinnamon pound cake with macadamia spice ribbon + "A Single Man"

Keeping up with my 2012 film goal, I watched “A Single Man” last night and what a surprise it was for me: I already expected something good – Colin Firth and Julianne Moore can do no wrong – but the movie is so visually striking that I felt like writing Tom Ford an email, asking him to make another movie soon.

*spoilers*

I love the way Ford works with the colors: a friend of mine called it “obvious” but I honestly disagree – I think it sets the moods in the movie in a very interesting way. The music is equally great – especially in the very beginning of the movie, with such beautiful takes under water – and though it hasn’t blown me away like the music in “Tron Legacy” and “Drive”, I thought it fit the movie like a glove. What a joy it is to see a young actor like Nicholas Hoult taking another risky character – several others his age would be afraid of taking this road, and he does it brilliantly. Julianne Moore doesn’t have much time onscreen, which is a shame, since she’s an amazing actress and looks glorious in 1960s fashion (being pale and freckled like her I was wishing I had that hair color) :). And Firth... Perfect would be the only way to describe his performance. All the pain shown through every muscle in his face (which reminds me of Natalie Portman in “Black Swan” and how much she could tell us by how her face looked, by the movement of her eyebrows). I believe the amazement is even bigger when we think of Firth in movies like “Bridget Jones” or “Love Actually” – how he can go from funny/silly to such a profound character. I was in awe at the end of the movie and strongly believe that the Oscars were given in an inverse order: Firth should have won in 2010 for “A Single Man” while Jeff Bridges should have won in 2011 for “True Grit”.

***

When it comes to pound cakes no one can beat Flo Braker and Lisa Yockelson – the fabulous recipe below comes from Yockelson’s always delicious "Baking by Flavor" and if you do not have macadamias around please, do not let that stop you from making the cake: I believe that walnuts, pecans and even peanuts would be great substitutes here.

Cinnamon pound cake with macadamia spice ribbon
from the always delicious and fantastic Baking by Flavor

Macadamia ribbon:
¾ cup (105g) macadamia nuts, finely chopped
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground allspice

Cake:
3 cups (420g) all purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup (226g/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 ½ cups (300g) granulated sugar
½ cup (88g) light brown sugar, packed
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 ½ cups sour cream*
icing sugar, for dusting

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Butter a plain 25cm (10in) tube pan and line the bottom with a circle of baking paper. Butter the paper as well then dust everything with flour.
In a small bowl, mix together the macadamia nuts, granulated sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. Set aside.
Make the cake batter: sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and cloves into a medium bowl.
In the large bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter on medium speed for 2-3minutes. Add the granulated sugar in two additions, beating well after each addition. Add the brown sugar and then beat until the mixture is light and fluffy. Blend in the eggs, one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition. Blend in the vanilla.
On low speed, alternately add the sifted ingredients in three additions and the sour cream in two additions, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally.
Spoon about 1/3 of the batter into the prepared pan, then sprinkle with half of the macadamia mixture. Cover with half of the remaining batter, followed by the remaining macadamia mixture. Cover with the remaining cake batter. Using a palette knife gently swirl the layer together – do not scrape the sides of the pan. Smooth the surface and bake for 1 hour/1 hour and 10 minutes or until the cake is risen and golden and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan over a wire rack for 15 minutes then, carefully invert onto the rack. Peel off the paper circle then invert again onto another rack. Cool completely. Dust with icing sugar before serving.

* homemade sour cream: to make 1 cup of sour cream, mix 1 cup (240ml) heavy cream with 2-3 teaspoons lemon juice in a bowl. Whisk until it starts to thicken. Cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for 1 hour or until thicker (I usually leave mine on the counter overnight – except on very warm nights – and it turns out thick and silky in the following morning; refrigerate for a creamier texture)

Serves 20

Frangipane ripple chocolate pound cake

I love almonds – they’re my favorite nut. But for far too long I avoided recipes that called for almond paste because I’ve never seen the ingredient around here. Then it suddenly hit me: if I made eggnog from scratch for a pound cake recipe, why not almond paste? I do not know why it took my brain so long to come to that conclusion. :)

The homemade almond paste – recipe from this gorgeous book – is smooth, delicious and can be kept in the freezer for a good while. And if you’re not convinced of making your own almond paste yet, take a look at this chocolate cake. ;)

Speaking of avoiding things, I’ve heard some people are avoiding "The Artist" because it’s: a) a silent movie, b) a b&w movie, c) a silent and b&w movie. I feel sorry for those people, really do. Because they’re missing a spectacular film, so beautifully made, with fantastic performances – I left the theater completely in love with both Berenice Bejo and Jean Dujardin – and a great story. Something I’d never seen before, so moving and entertaining at the same time. But what do I know, right? I’m just a girl who likes to bake (frangipane ripple) cakes. :)

Frangipane ripple chocolate pound cake
from the always delicious and never failing Baking for All Occasions

Frangipane filling:
1/3 cup (33g) almond meal
½ cup almond paste – I used homemade, recipe follows
¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
1 large egg
¼ cup (56g) unsalted butter, softened

Cake:
260g cake flour*
¾ cup (68g) unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
280g (10oz) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups (400g) granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup (240ml) whole milk, room temperature

Make the frangipane: in a food processor, combine the almond meal, almond paste and sugar and process until well mixed. Add the egg and butter and process until smoothly blended. Cover and refrigerate while you make the cake batter.
Make the cake: preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C/325°F if the pan has a dark finish). Butter and flour a 10-cup capacity Bundt pan.
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.
In the large bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat the butter on medium speed until creamy and smooth. Gradually add the sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally. On medium speed, add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla. On the lowest speed, add the flour mixture in three additions alternately with the milk in two additions, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Scrape the sides of the bowl again.
Remove the frangipane from the refrigerator. Spoon about 2 cups of the cake batter into the prepared pan, spreading it evenly. Spoon half of the frangipane in dollops over the center of the batter, and then spread it over the cake batter avoiding the center tube and sides of the pan. Spoon about 1 ½ cups of the batter evenly over the filling. Spoon the remaining frangipane over the batter, spreading it evenly. Spread the remaining batter over the top and spread evenly.
Bake the cake for about 60 minutes or until risen, the top springs back when lightly touched and a skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool in the pan over a wire rack for 15-20 minutes, then carefully unmold onto the rack. Cool completely.
Dust with confectioners’ sugar before serving, if desired.

* homemade cake flour: 1 cup (140g) all purpose flour minus 2 tablespoons + 2 tablespoons corn starch

Serves 12-15

Homemade almond paste
from the beautiful Home Baking: The Artful Mix of Flour and Traditions from Around the World

1 cup (100g) ground almonds
1/3 cup (46g) confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, softened
1 large egg white, lightly whisked
½ teaspoon almond or vanilla extract (optional)

Place all the ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 2 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months. Let paste come to room temperature before using it.

Makes ¾ cup dense, smooth paste

Dulce de leche pound cake

As I was updating my list of books – a couple of new additions as I told you a while ago – I kept thinking of ways to make it more functional and interesting: therefore, I’ve changed it a bit. I hope you all like it.

Oh, aside from books, there is cake here today, too – and it is absolutely divine. :)

Dulce de leche pound cake
slightly adapted from O, The Oprah Magazine

1 ½ cups (340g/3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup dulce de leche
2 cups (350g) light brown sugar, packed
1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
1 ½ tablespoons vanilla extract
6 eggs
3 cups (420g) all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
icing sugar, for dusting

Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F. Butter two 22x12cm (9x5in) loaf pans*.
In a large bowl, beat butter, dulce de leche, brown sugar, and granulated sugar with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Add vanilla and eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally. Add flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon; beat again until combined.
Transfer batter to prepared pans, smooth out the tops, and bake until loaves turn a deep golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 60 to 75 minutes. Set aside to cool in pans about 45 minutes; then carefully unmold onto rack. Dust with icing sugar to serve.

* I’ve made this recipe twice, using different pans: I halved the recipe above and used a 25x10cm (10x4in) loaf pan and I made 2/3 of the recipe above using a 20x30cm (8x12in) baking pan. In both cases the cake sunk a bit in the middle; according to Dan Lepard – I cannot tell you how much I’m enjoying his "Short and Sweet" – that happened because the batter needed more flour, so next time I make this cake (and there will be a next time, because it is so delicious) I’ll increase the flour amount

Makes 2

Elvis Presley’s favorite pound cake + my role choices if I were an actress

I don’t have any talent for acting but if I’d become an actress I would be interested in complex roles, characters full of layers; I would not want to play the girl next door – no, sir; I would like to be Alex Forrest, Isabelle de Merteuil, Patricia Hewes (yes, I love Glenn Close), Ada McGrath, Marla Singer, Mary Magdalene, Sarah Pierce; Sister Aloysius Beauvier, Nina Sayers, Lisbeth Salander – everything but plain roles.

But as far as cakes are concerned I love them plain, with just a hint of vanilla, with a simple icing like this butter cake or no icing at all, like Elvis’ favorite: nothing fancy or complex as far as flavor is concerned but with such tender texture that I can easily say it is one of the best cakes I’ve ever tasted.

Elvis Presley’s favorite pound cake
from Gourmet’s fantastic recipe bible

3 cups (360g) sifted cake flour (not self-rising; sift before measuring)*
¾ teaspoon salt
1 cup (226g/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3 cups (600g) granulated sugar
7 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup (240ml) heavy cream
icing sugar, for dusting (optional)

Generously butter and flour a 25cm (10in) tube pan (11.2cm/4 ½ inches deep, not with a removable bottom) or a 12-cup Bundt pan**.
Sift together the flour and salt twice. Set aside.
Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low and add half of flour mixture, then all of cream, then remaining flour, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down side of bowl, then beat at medium-high speed 5 minutes. Batter will become creamier and satiny.
Spoon batter into prepared pan and rap pan against work surface once or twice to eliminate air bubbles. Place pan in (cold) oven and turn oven temperature to 180°C/350°F***. Bake until golden and a wooden pick or skewer inserted in middle of cake comes out with a few crumbs adhering, 1 to 1 ¼ hours. Cool cake in pan on a rack 30 minutes. Run a thin knife around inner and outer edges of cake, then invert rack over pan and invert cake onto rack to cool completely.
Sift with icing sugar to serve.
Cake keeps, covered well with plastic wrap or in an airtight container, at room temperature 5 days.

* homemade cake flour: 1 cup (140g) all purpose flour minus 2 tablespoons + 2 tablespoons corn starch

** I used this pan (25cm/10in) but it did not hold all the batter – I divided the remaining batter among three 1/3 cup (80ml) mini loaf pans

*** I did not read the recipe properly and ended up baking the cake in a preheated oven (180°C/350°F) for 1 hour

Makes 10-12 servings

Peanut butter pound cake with coconut topping

Like the lovely Nina, I am, too, a pound cake addict: they are simple to make, taste great – and stay that way for a good couple of days – and after that can be turned into delicious toast.

This cake is fantastic and the topping is just as good – I “accidentally” left some in the pan after icing the cake and had to eat it with a spoon. :)

Peanut butter pound cake with coconut topping
slightly adapted from the wonderful Baking for All Occasions

Cake:
1 cup (226g/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 ½ cups (300g) granulated sugar
140g creamy peanut butter
5 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 ¾ cups + 1 tablespoon (255g) all purpose flour

Topping:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup (58g) light brown sugar, packed
3 tablespoons heavy cream
½ cup (50g) sweetened shredded coconut, plus a pinch extra to garnish

Start with the cake: preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Butter and flour a 22.5x12.5x7.5cm (9x5x3in) loaf pan.
In the large bowl of an electric mixer, with the paddle attachment if possible, beat the butter until smooth, 45 seconds. On medium speed, add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally. Add the peanut butter and beat until fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Still on medium speed, add the eggs gradually, beating well after each addition.
Now, on low speed, add the flour in two additions, mixing well until combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Place the loaf pan on a baking sheet and bake for about 1 hour, or until risen and golden and a skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool in the pan, over a wire rack for 10 minutes, then carefully unmold onto a wire rack and cool completely.
Make the topping: in a small heavy saucepan, melt the butter with the sugar over low heat. Add the cream and coconut and stir until blended. Remove from the heat and spread over the cake. Sprinkle with the extra coconut shreds.

Serves 12 – I made ¾ of the cake recipe above and used a 20x9cm loaf pan; I made the entire topping recipe, though.

Chestnut pound cake

A very dear friend of mine got me a package of chestnut flour as a gift – yes, we’re the kind of people who love giving/getting food as gifts. :)

I have never seen that flour around here, and the minute she gave me the package she said: “make Alice Medrich’s chestnut pound cake as soon as you can”. I did as I was told – four times already, to be honest – and I’m forever in debt with my friend: this is one of the best cakes I have ever had. EVER.

Chestnut pound cake
from Pure Dessert

1 ¾ cup + 1 tablespoon (255g) all purpose flour
1 cup (126g/4½oz) chestnut flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
1 cup (226g/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups (400g) caster sugar
2/3 cup (160ml) buttermilk
1/3 cup (80ml) dark rum

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F; butter two 5-cup capacity loaf pans, line with baking paper and butter the paper as well.
Sift together three times the all purpose flour, chestnut flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together into a medium bowl. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs lightly with a fork.
In the large bowl of a mixer, beat butter until creamy. Add the sugar in a steady stream and beat until light and fluffy. Beating constantly, add the eggs gradually to the mixture.
Stop the mixer, add 1/3 of the flour mixture, beat on low speed until flour is absorbed. Stop the mixer; add half the buttermilk and half of the rum. Repeat with half of the flour mixture, then all the buttermilk and rum. Scrape the sides of the bowl, add the remaining flour, beat until absorbed. Scrape batter to pan and bake until risen and golden and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean (50-55 minutes).
Remove from oven, set over a wire rack and cool in the pan for 20 minutes. Carefully unmold and let cool completely over the rack.
Can be frozen for up to 3 months (wrapped airtight).

Serves 16