Pumpkin Smash Cake

 

My friends' daughter Charlie is turning 1 on October 31 and they asked me to make a smash cake for her birthday party.  (Smash cakes, a smaller cake just for the birthday child, are quite popular in the US.) The only request from the parents when it came to the cake was for one without eggs due to Charlie's food allergy.  "No problem," I said.  A quick search on the internet and I found this recipe for Chocolate Depression Cake, which came about during the Great Depression when staples such as eggs and butter were scarce.

Since Charlie is a Halloween baby I wanted to make a Pumpkin Smash Cake for her.  The cake recipe makes one small bundt cake (6-cup capacity) so I made it twice to get the shape I was after.  I had my doubts about the cake's taste, but I shouldn't have been concerned.  The chocolate cake was moist and tender and you could not tell it was missing eggs.  I will definitely use this recipe in the future.

 

When it came to decorating the smash cake I used an American style buttercream that was made with butter, heavy cream, vanilla extract, salt and powdered sugar.  Swiss meringue buttercream, my favorite frosting, wasn't an option since it's made with egg whites.  

 

Assembling the cake couldn't be simpler and requires no advanced skills.  You just sandwich the two bundt cakes together with some of the frosting and then coat the outside with orange colored buttercream.   To make the stem I mixed cake scraps with buttercream, similar to how you would make cake pops, and shaped the mixture into the stem.  

I hope Charlie enjoys her smash cake on her first birthday.  Happy Birthday Cha Cha!

Lemon-Thyme Shortbread

Rainstorms are loitering around San Francisco this week and when the weather gets like this it's definitely a sign for me to stay indoors and bake.  Not that I ever really need to find an excuse!

 

I wanted to make something that was quick and easy.  Luckily inspiration came courtesy of Martha Stewart when she was making chocolate-dipped shortbread on her show.  Dealing with chocolate seemed too messy so I flavored my cookies with lemon and thyme. 

Word of caution: whenever you infuse an herbal element in to a sweet I find it's best to use a light touch.  Otherwise you run the risk of the finished product tasting like scented soap...not so nice. This shortbread has just the right balance of citrus and herb without being too overpowering.  Wouldn't they be the perfect accompaniment to a cup of tea or glass of freshly-squeezed lemonade?  

Today is my dear friend Susanne's birthday so I wanted to wish her a wonderful day!

GRATULERER MED DAGEN!

Shortbread Two Ways

It's ironic that I love to bake because diabetes tends to run in my extended family, especially the maternal branch.  Whenever I make them something inevitably the first comment I get is, "Can you make it less sweet?"  I too am a fan of less sweet desserts, so I'm not one to talk, but you've got to have some sugar otherwise what's the point?

I'm visiting the relatives this weekend so my Mom suggested I bring them a homemade treat.   The main criteria being that whatever it is be low on the sugar content..big surprise!   

The first thing that came to mind was shortbread.  They're more buttery than sweet and are the perfect accompaniment to a cup of tea.   I decided to mix things up a bit so in addition to the classic version I tried Dorie Greenspan's espresso-chocolate shortbread.  If you're a caffeine addict you'll go crazy for them!

Blackberry Buttermilk Panna Cotta

I don't know about you but I'm a bit of a Costco fanatic.  I just love the place, which can be a really dangerous (and expensive!) habit.  My friend Grace and I have, on many an occasion, made the trek there during our lunch break from work.   We're crazy like that.

    

For someone like me it's a great place to stock up on baking staples.  I buy unsalted butter there like it's going out of fashion.  On my last trip they had some amazing blackberries that were cheap as chips.  So of course I ended up buying way too many...over a kilo to be exact. 

    

You can bet that I was searching high and low for blackberry recipes because I hated the thought of the berries going to waste. I found this one for blackberry buttermilk panna cotta on epicurious.com.  Luckily I had all the ingredients in my fridge so it came together really quickly.  

These panna cotta are super creamy and refreshing, with the slightest tang from the buttermilk.  They are fabulous topped with mixed berries - a perfect light and fruity dessert to end any meal.

Icebox Cheesecake

I had the pleasure of tasting a really delicious homemade cheesecake a few weeks ago that was unlike any I'd had before.  This wasn't your typical New York style, i.e., super dense and heavy.  Instead it was light as a feather with the perfect balance of cream cheese and subtle sweetness.  Topped with fresh berries it was too tempting for me to resist.  Ok...I admit I helped myself to more than a few slices!

Weeks passed and I still kept thinking about that cheesecake - surely a telltale sign that I had to make it.  Armed with the only clues I had, that it contained cream cheese, cream and gelatin, I began my research online.

Luckily I found this no-bake cheesecake recipe from Cook's Country TV, sister show of America's Test Kitchen.  The best thing about this version is that you only bake the graham cracker crust, not the filling.  No pesky water baths and cracked tops to deal with....right up my alley!  After tasting the finished product I'd say I think I came pretty darn close to the original.    

If you're craving a cheesecake that won't set you back a few heart attacks I definitely recommend this one.