Clementine Cake

With my home reconstructions over (Thanks God!!!!) and all the dust cleaned up (no kidding ….) here I am attempting to keep this blog up and going.

Coming back to food …. I don’t know about you but I love eating seasonal food. I think there is something special about having produce when it is supposed to be there. I love going to the supermarket and finding in the shelves what is in season.

The feeling becomes indescribable when I am in my Asturias garden produce!!! I can tell you month by month what I eagerly expect. Blueberries in July, pears in October and rhubarb in April are my favorite by far.

Clementine is one of those fruits that are a must during their season. I use them for everything and anything. On juice, on dressings, to cook meat, in marmalade, to bake…

The cake is a Clementine cake. The recipe is from “Everyday Food”. The cake itself is just beautiful and tasty. I added a couple of things of my own to please my sweet tooth mother. I cut the cake in two layers that I soak in tangerine syrup. I also made a clementine curd as a filling changing a bit the lemon curd recipe. I covered the cake with Swiss meringue and garnished it with sanded clementine and peel.

I highly recommend the cake!!

I hope you like it!!

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan

3 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for pan

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon fine salt

2 cups granulated sugar

6 large eggs

2 tablespoons finely grated tangerine zest, plus 1/2 cup tangerine juice (from 6 tangerines)

2 tablespoons orange-flavored liqueur, such as Grand Marnier

3/4 cup low-fat plain yogurt

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 12-cup Bundt cake pan. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and granulated sugar on medium-high until light and fluffy, 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in tangerine zest and juice and liqueur. With mixer on low, add flour mixture in three additions, alternating with two additions yogurt, and beat to combine; beat in vanilla. Transfer batter to pan, smooth top, and firmly tap pan on a flat surface to remove air bubbles.

Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 55 to 60 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack, 30 minutes. Invert cake onto rack set in a rimmed baking sheet and let cool completely. (With a serrated knife, trim cake to sit flat, if necessary.)

The Perfect Génoise

When I started this blog adventure I was in the process of re-thinking my life. Don’t think that the only thing I did was thinking ….I quit my super job in the fashion industry. No more New York for a while!! No more crazy traveling, crazy working hours and corporate BS. I also closed my Lugano apartment and moved back to Geneva.

In the mean time I went to my Asturias country house to spend the summer with my family. The best I could have done! Nothing like Asturias, Patria Querida!!! Sleeping in ones bed, showering in ones shower, finishing a jar of your favorite preserve and make plans for next week knowing you will be in the same place!

With my ideas clear about what I want and what makes me happy I got myself moving.

I found a very nice job in Madrid, close to my apartment and horse! I know what you are thinking: how many places does she keep??!! Exactly!! It is going to be so nice to have my life just in two places!!!! Now I will know where is home, where do I live and where are my black patent Manolos.

So now I can say I am happy. I will be soon leaving Geneva and moving back to Madrid, I could ride my horse almost everyday, bake and cook non stop, go to Asturias every since and be with my loved ones.

With all this joy in my heart I baked a cake using the recipe of the “Perfect Génoise” from Julia Child. You can find it in the book “Baking with Julia”.

The results are great and you do not need to heat the egg-sugar mixture!

I hope you like it!

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 cup sifted cake flour

½ cup sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

4 large eggs, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat the oven at 180º (350 degrees).

Cover with parchment paper a 20 cm cake pan.

Melt the butter and reserve.

Return the sifted flour to the sieve and add 1 tablespoon of the sugar and the salt; sift onto a piece of waxed paper and set aside.

Put the eggs and remaining sugar into the bowl of a heavy –duty mixer. With the whisk attachment in place, whip the mixture on medium speed until it is airy, pale, and triple in volume, like softly whipped cream, around 5 minutes.

You will know that the eggs are properly whipped when you lift the whisk and the mixture falls back into the bowl in a ribbon that rests on the surface for about 10 seconds. Pour in the vanilla extract during the last moments of whipping.

Detach the bowl from the mixer. Sprinkle about one third of the sifted flour mixture over the batter. Fold in the flour with a rubber spatula, stopping as soon as the flour is incorporated. Fold in the rest of the flour in 2 more additions.

Gently spoon about 1 cup of the batter into the bowl with the melted butter and fold the butter in with the rubber spatula. Fold this mixture into the batter in the mixer bowl. This is the point at which the batter is at its most fragile, so fold gingerly.

The batter should be poured into a prepared pan and baked immediately.

The Glaze

Ingredients

12 ounces white chocolate, finely chopped

2/3 heavy cream

Directions

Put the chopped chocolate into a medium bowl and pour the cream into a saucepan. Heat the cream into a boil and then pour it over the chocolate, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula. When the glaze is creamy smooth, push it through a strainer into a bowl.

Use the glaze when it´s still warm and liquid.

Christmas Eve with Lemon Flavor

I love lemon deserts and so do my family. I think my sister and I get this “lemon passion” from my dad. So when I asked for suggestions for Christmas Eve dinner desert lemon was n 1º in the ranking.

Christmas Eve is a very special celebration in my family like in many Christian homes. Is great going to my parent and getting in the kitchen preparing our long time favorite recipes to celebrate the birth of Baby Jesus.

Although we always enjoy the typical Christmas sweats, we like to have a nice cake as dessert. This cake works perfectly for an after dinner dessert. The texture is light and the flavor very refreshing. The lemon flavor is everywhere: in the sponge cake, the syrup, the lemon curd and the lemon meringue!

The recipe is from John Barricelli. It is easy and fairly quick to make.

I hope you like it and Merry Christmas!

Ingredients

Serves 12

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pans

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for pans

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon lemon zest

2 cups sugar

2 large eggs plus 3 large egg yolks

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 cup low-fat buttermilk

1 lemon, thinly sliced and seeded

Directions

Preheat oven to 180º. Butter and flour two 20 by 5 cm cake pans, tapping out excess flour. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and lemon zest.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar until light and fluffy. With mixer on low, beat in eggs and yolks, one at a time. Beat in 2 tablespoons lemon juice. Alternately beat in flour mixture and buttermilk beginning and ending with flour mixture; mix just until combined.

Divide batter between pans; smooth tops. Bake until cakes pull away from sides of pans, 32 to 35 minutes. Let cool in pans 10 minutes. Run a knife around edges of pans and invert cakes onto a wire rack.

While cakes are baking, bring remaining 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water to a boil in a saucepan. Add lemon slices and simmer 25 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer lemon slices to a waxed-paper-lined plate. Stir remaining 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice into syrup.

Using a toothpick, poke holes in warm cakes on rack. Brush with lemon syrup. Let cool completely. Prepare frosting. Frost cooled cakes and top with candied lemon slices.

Frosting

Ingredients

3 large egg whites

3/4 cup sugar

Pinch of salt

1/3 cup water

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Directions

In a heatproof bowl set over (not in) a saucepan of simmering water, combine 3 large egg whites, 3/4 cup sugar, a pinch salt and 1/3 cup water. Cook over medium, stirring constantly, until sugar has dissolved (or mixture registers 150 on an instant-read thermometer), 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl.

Using an electric mixer, beat on medium-high until glossy, stiff peaks form (do not overbeat), about 3 minutes; reduce speed to low, add 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, and beat just until combined. Use immediately.

Tarta muliticolor ...... Multicolor Layered Cake

Hace unos días vi en uno de mis blogs favoritos, “Whisk Kid”, una tarta multicolor de lo mas apetecible y llamativa.

Sabiendo lo golosa que es mi madre, la tarta parecía perfecta para el día de la madre. Así que me puse a ello y este es el resultado …. Que mi madre disfruto de lo lindo!!!

Aquí tenéis la receta:

Few days ago I saw in one of my favorite blog , “ Whisk Kid”, a beautiful, striking layered cake.

Knowing that my mum has a very sweet tooth, this layered cake looked like the perfect cake for Mother´s Day. So I got my hands on and this is the result … that my mum enjoyed big time!

Here you have the recipe:

Bizcocho

Ingredientes

3 tazas de harina ( 750 gr.)

4 cucharitas de levadura

½ cucharita de sal

1 taza mantequilla (250 gr.)

2 1/3 tazas de azúcar

5 claras de huevo grandes, temperatura ambiente

2 cucharitas de extracto de vainilla

1 ½ tazas de leche, temperatura ambiente

colorante vegetal

Direcciones

Precalentar el horno a 180º. Untar los moldes de mantequilla, poner en el fondo papel de horno y untarlo con mantequilla.

En un bol grande mezclar la harina, levadura y sal. En otro bol batir la mantequilla y el azúcar hasta que la mezcla este cremosa. Lentamente añadir las claras y batir hasta que estén bien mezcladas. Añadir el extracto de vainilla y seguir batiendo hasta que este totalmente incorporada a la mezcla. Añadir la mezcla de harina y leche de manera alternativa, empezando con la harina y acabando con la leche. Batir hasta que este bien mezclado.

Dividir la masa entre el numero de pisos que se quiera hacer. Añadir el colorante, batir hasta que se consiga el color deseado. Transferir cada masa a su molde. Hornear unos 15 minutos hasta que al pinchar en el centro el cuchillo salga limpio.

Dejar enfriar unos 10 minutos. Dar la vuelta a los bizcochos y dejarlos enfriar completamente. Con un cuchillo recortar bordes e igualar parte superior para dejar una superficie plana. Poner cuatro tiras de papel de horno alrededor del perímetro del plato de presentación. Poner en el plato el primer bizcocho.

Esparcir una taza de frosting con una espátula llegando bien hasta los bordes. Repetir el proceso con el resto de las capas de bizcocho. La ultima capa colocarla con la base cara arriba.

Cubrir la tarta con una fina capa de frosting aprovechando cualquier exceso de visible entre capas. Dejar reposar en el frigorífico durante 30 minutos. Con una espátula recubrir la tarta el resto del frosting.

Frosting de queso fresco en crema

Ingredientes

340 gr queso Philadelphia, temperatura ambiente

250 gr. Mantequilla, temperatura ambiente

4 tazas azúcar glass

¾ cucharita extracto de vainilla

Direcciones

Batir mantequilla y queso Philadelphia hasta bien mezclado. Añadir el azúcar, una taza cada vez, y la vainilla. Batir hasta que la mezcla este bien combinada y “suave”.

El frosting se puede refrigerar hasta 3 días. Antes de usarlo batir y asegurarse que este a temperatura ambiente.

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Cake

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature

2 1/3 cups sugar

5 large egg whites, room temperature

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups milk, room temperature

Food coloring

Directions

Preheat oven at 350 degrees. . Brush cake pans with butter. Line bottom of each cake pan with parchment paper; brush again and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt; set aside. In other bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Slowly add egg whites and mix until well combined. Add vanilla and mix until fully incorporated. Add flour mixture and milk in two alternating additions, beginning with the flour and ending with the milk. Mix until well combined.

Divide batter evenly between the bowls. Add enough of each color of food coloring to each bowl, whisking, until desired shade is reached. Transfer each color to an individual cake pan. Transfer to oven and bake until a cake tester inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean, about 15 minutes (working in batches if necessary).

Remove cakes from oven and transfer to a wire rack; let cool for 10 minutes. Invert cakes onto a wire rack; re-invert and let cool completely.

Using a serrated knife, trim tops of cakes to make level. Place four strips of parchment paper around perimeter of a serving plate. Place the purple layer on the cake plate. Spread a scant 1 cup of cream cheese filling over the first layer with a small offset spatula so it extends just beyond edges. Repeat process with the different layers.

Place the remaining layer on top, bottom-side up. Gently sweep away any loose crumbs with a pastry brush. Using an offset spatula, cover the top and sides with a thin layer of frosting (also use any of the excess frosting visible between the layers). Refrigerate until set, about 30 minutes.

Using an offset spatula, cover cake again with remaining frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

12 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

1 pound (4 cups) confectioners' sugar, sifted

3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

Beat butter and cream cheese until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add sugar, 1 cup at a time, and then vanilla; mix until smooth. Frosting can be refrigerated for up to 3 days; before using, bring to room temperature, and beat until smooth.