TWD: Fluted Polenta and Ricotta Cake

This week's TWD comes from Caitlin at Engineer Baker. I'm gonna be honest. I wasn't a fan. The flavor was GREAT..I loved the light lemon flavor from the grated lemon zest....but at the end of the day, the texture did not win me over. I'm not a fan of cornbread, polenta, or grits... but I really love TWD SO much...and I made this because most everything I've tried has been awesome, and I didn't think this would be any different. It wasn't really, because Ugg liked it! I also really appreciate Caitlin's pick, because it took me WAY outside my comfort zone, and I never would have made this one on my own...so, thanks Caitlin!

Check out everyone else's cakes here!


Here is the recipe:
Fluted Polenta and Ricotta Cake

About 16 moist, plump dried Mission or Kadota figs, stemmed
1 c. medium-grain polenta or yellow cornmeal
½ c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 c. ricotta
1/3 c. tepid water
¾ c. sugar
¾ c. honey (if you’re a real honey lover, use a full-flavored honey such as chestnut, pine, or buckwheat)
Grated zest of 1 lemon
2 large eggs

Getting Ready: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter a 10 ½-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom and put it on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat.
Check that the figs are, indeed, moist and plump. If they are the least bit hard, toss them into a small pan of boiling water and steep for a minute, then drain and pat dry. If the figs are large (bigger than a bite), snip them in half.
Whisk the polenta, flour, baking powder, and salt together.
Working with a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the ricotta and water together on low speed until very smooth. With the mixer at medium speed, add the sugar, honey, and lemon zest and beat until light. Beat in the melted butter, then add the eggs one at a time, beating until the mixture is smooth. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing only until they are fully incorporated. You’ll have a sleek, smooth, pourable batter.
Pour about one third of the batter into the pan and scatter over the figs. Pour in the rest of the batter, smooth the top with a rubber spatula, if necessary, and dot the batter evenly with the chilled bits of butter.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. The cake should be honey brown and pulling away just a little from the sides of the panm, and the butter will have left light-colored circles in the top. Transfer the cake to a rack and remove the sides of the pan after about 5 minutes. Cool to warm, or cool completely.


Up Next Week: MY PICK! :cue the angels singing: Peanut Butter Torte

DB: Cheesecake Pops

So, right off the bat, this month's Daring Baker's is right up my alley. So, I have big shout outs and love to our hosts this month Elle from Feeding my Enthusiams and Deborah from Taste and Tell. I love cheesecake. I think it should be one of the basic food groups, I love it so much. I mean, really, what's not to love, right?

This recipe did *not* disappoint. The only problem I had with it, was the center of my cake was pretty soft...and it never did really set. I froze the cake before dipping my pops...not completely, but for about 30-40 minutes, and I still had a pretty soft mess on my hands. Not that I minded really, because how bad can life be when you have cheesecake hands, right?

In my pics you can see how soft my centers are. It made for messy, but they sure were yummy!

Check out the recipe and how everyone else did here!

TWD: Bill's Big Carrot Cake

So, right off the bat I have to tell you that Ugg was VERY happy with this week's recipe. Frankly, me too! I don't care for the carrot cake....not a fan of walnuts or pecans OR raisins, for that matter...but, Ugg *loves* him some carrot cake. Well it's not too long until my pick, and he was *really* pressing hard for the carrot cake...I would have hated to disappoint him (but, I would have), so I was so pleased to see that Amanda at slow like honey chose this one. Amanda, you totally saved my husband from disappointment!

This is a 3 layer cake recipe, and since I only have 2 cake pans, I decided it was time for a trip to Williams-Sonoma! I mean, why not, right? I got 3 9-inch square cake pans. Dorie suggests 3 round, but, I felt like a rebel...plus I thought it would look neat-o!

Ok -- back to the carrot cake. So, the cake came together VERY nicely. I was pleased with the ease of it. I poured in into the pans...and...well, at the time, I wish I'd either followed Dorie's direction (heh, isn't that always the smartest way to go?), or just used 2 pans. My cakes seemed thin, so I was hoping for a real good rise.

Well..I was disappointed when my cakes didn't rise much...but, I got over it once I put it together. It really came together nicely, and I was really happy with the overall outcome..

Oh, but wait...I can't leave you without mentioning the frosting. The sweet, tangy, smooth, wonderful frosting. It was divine. I may not have eaten any cake...but I ate the frosting. I had to hurry and frost that cake, or the frosting would have been GONE! Really...it's good.

I want to say one other thing in regard to the frosting, and really to the other recipes that I've tried with Dorie and our little (is it little anymore?) group.....I have tried my level best to follow the directions in each recipe to the letter. I've done a decent job, I think, and one of the greatest benefits of this has been seeing the difference that little things make in your recipes.

Take for instance this lovely frosting. In the instructions, Dorie says to sift the sugar. Now. Let's be honest. Who sifts the sugar? Well...maybe some of you do, but I never did...until now. Also -- back when we made the lemon tart...I don't mind lemon zest, but Dorie told us to strain it...so I did. In both cases the outcome was something that was so much smoother and had such a great mouth feel (ooo...I feel like such a foodie saying that word!), that I just know that these little things make a difference in how the finished product comes out. Just some food for thought...I know it's made a difference in the way I get things done.

So -- Ugg thought the cake was FANTASTIC...and I believe him...trust me, he'll let me know if he doesn't like something! So...here is the recipe...make sure you try it! Check out everyone else's carrot cakes here..

Bill's Big Carrot Cake
Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan
Yields 10 servings

Ingredients:
For the cake:
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
¾ teaspoon salt
3 cups grated carrots (about 9 carrots, you can grate them in food processor fitted w/ a shredding a blade or use a box grater)
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans
1 cup shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
½ cup moist, plump raisins (dark or golden) or dried cranberries
2 cups sugar
1 cup canola oil
4 large eggs

For the frosting:
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 stick ( 8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 pound or 3 and ¾ cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice or ½ teaspoon pure lemon extract
½ cup shredded coconut (optional)
Finely chopped toasted nuts and/or toasted shredded coconut (optional)

Getting ready:
Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter three 9-x-2-inch round cake pans, flour the insides, and tap out the excess. Put the two pans on one baking sheet and one on another.

To make the cake:
Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. In another bowl, stir together the carrots, chopped nuts, coconut, and raisins.
Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the sugar and oil together on a medium speed until smooth. Add the eggs one by one and continue to beat until the batter is even smoother. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture, mixing only until the dry ingredients disappear. Gently mix the chunky ingredients. Divide the batter among the baking pans.
Bake for 40-50 minutes, rotating the pans from top to bottom and front to back at the midway point, until a thin knife inserted into the centers comes out clean. The cakes will have just started to come away from the sides of the pans. Transfer the cakes to cooling racks and cool for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the cakes and unmold them. Invert and cool to room temperature right side up.
The cakes can be wrapped airtight and kept at room temperature overnight or frozen for up to 2 months.

To make the frosting:
Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth and creamy. Gradually add the sugar and continue to beat until the frosting is velvety smooth. Beat in the lemon juice or extract.
If you'd like coconut in the filling, scoop about half of the frosting and stir the coconut into this position.

To assemble the cake:
Put one layer top side up on a cardboard cake round or a cake plate protected by strips of wax or parchment paper. If you added the coconut to the frosting, use half of the coconut frosting to generously cover the first layer (or generously cover with plain frosting). Use an offset spatula or a spoon to smooth the frosting all the way to the edges of the layer. Top with the second layer, this time placing the cake stop side down, and frost with the remainder of the coconut frosting or plain frosting. Top with the last layer, right side up, and frost the top- and the sides- of the cake. Finish the top with swirls of frosting. If you want to top the cake with toasted nuts or coconut, sprinkle them on now while the frosting is soft.
Refrigerate the cake for 30 minutes, just to set the frosting before serving.

Serving:
This cake can be served as soon as the frosting is set. It can also wait, at room temperature and covered with a cake keeper overnight. The cake is best served in thick slices at room temperature and while it's good plain, it's even better with vanilla ice cream or some lemon curd.
Storing:
The cake will keep at room temperature for 2 to 3 days. It can also be frozen. Freeze it uncovered, then when it's firm, wrap airtight and freeze for up to 2 months. Defrost, still wrapped, overnight in the refrigerator.

Up next week: Fluted Polenta and Ricotta Cake

Oh...and see this pic here?

This was how tired Lola was after she pulled me off the back porch in pursuit of a rabbit, and caused me to acquire my newest high fashion accessory...Don't be jealous...you know you wish YOU could wear this for a month!

TWD: Marshmallows

This week's TWD....Marshmallows! This one was chosen by Judy over at Judy's Gross Eats. I've made marshmallows once before. They are so much fun! So, since I'd made regular old ones earlier this year, I decided to tackle the light chocolate ones listed in the "playing around" section of this recipe.

So, I suppose it was bound to happen sooner or later...I ran across a recipe in this book that I don't love. My marshmallows were flatter than I'd hoped (which happend to a few people who made the flavored ones, I think)...and, well, I just didn't care for the texture as much as I did when I made the Alton Brown recipe earlier this year. The difference is the egg whites, and the beating time. I was surprised to see that Dorie's recipe didn't call for an extended beat time in the mixer, as in the AB one it called for something like 15 mintues of beating...

I will say when I was looking for recipes earlier this year, I specifically stayed away from the ones with egg whites..they just looked "complicated" to me...well, it's not more complicated, but I will say I do prefer the other way I made them...check out how everyone else did here!

Here is the recipe:

Marshmallows
Including marshmallows as a spoon dessert may seem like cheating -- after all, they're eaten with fingers (or, by campers, from sticks picked up in the forest) -- but making them at home is too much fun to miss. And in fact this dessert is related to others in this chapter: the base is meringue -- sweetened and strengthened by a cooked sugar syrup and fortified by gelatin.
There's nothing difficult about making the marshmallows, but the meringue does need a long beating. While you can use a hand mixer, a stand mixer makes the job easier.
I'm giving you the recipe for a basic vanilla marshmallow. See Playing Around (below) for raspberry, chocolate, cappuccino and pumpkin marshmallows.

Makes about 1 pound marshmallows
About 1 cup potato starch (found in the kosher foods section of supermarkets) or cornstarch
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 1/4-ounce packets unflavored gelatin
3 large egg whites, at room temperature
3/4 cup cold water
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon sugar

GETTING READY: Line a rimmed baking sheet -- choose one with a rim that is 1 inch high -- with parchment paper and dust the paper generously with potato starch or cornstarch. Have a candy thermometer at hand.
Put 1/3 cup of the water, 1 1/4 cups of the sugar and the corn syrup in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Once the sugar is dissolved, continue to cook the syrup -- without stirring -- until it reaches 265 degrees F on the candy thermometer, about 10 minutes.
While the syrup is cooking, work on the gelatin and egg whites. In a microwave-safe bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the remaining cold water (a scant 7 tablespoons) and let it sit for about 5 minutes, until it is spongy, then heat the gelatin in a microwave oven for 20 to 30 seconds to liquefy it. (Alternatively, you can dissolve the gelatin in a saucepan over low heat.)
Working in the clean, dry bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or in another large bowl with a hand mixer, beat the egg whites on medium-high speed until firm but still glossy -- don't overbeat them and have them go dull.
As soon as the syrup reaches 265 degrees F, remove the pan from the heat and, with the mixer on medium speed, add the syrup, pouring it between the spinning beater(s) and the sides of the bowl. Add the gelatin and continue to beat for another 3 minutes, so that the syrup and the gelatin are fully incorporated. Beat in the vanilla.
Using a large rubber spatula, scrape the meringue mixture onto the baking sheet, laying it down close to a short end of the sheet. Then spread it into the corners and continue to spread it out, taking care to keep the height of the batter at 1 inch; you won't fill the pan. Lift the excess parchment paper up to meet the edge of the batter, then rest something against the paper so that it stays in place (I use custard cups).
Dust the top of the marshmallows with potato starch or cornstarch and let the marshmallows set in a cool, dry place. They'll need about 3 hours, but they can rest for 12 hours or more.
Once they are cool and set, cut the marshmallows with a pair of scissors or a long thin knife. Whatever you use, you'll have to rinse and dry it frequently. Have a big bowl with the remaining potato starch or cornstarch at hand and cut the marshmallows as you'd like -- into squares, rectangles or even strips (as they're cut in France). As each piece is cut, drop it into the bowl. When you've got 4 or 5 marshmallows in the bowl, reach in with your fingers and turn the marshmallows to coat them with starch, then, one by one, toss the marshmallows from one hand to the other to shake off the excess starch; transfer them to a serving bowl. Cut and coat the rest of the batch.

SERVING: Put the marshmallows out and let everyone nibble as they wish. Sometimes I fill a tall glass vase with the marshmallows and put it in the center of the table -- it never fails to make friends smile. You can also top hot chocolate or cold sundaes with the marshmallows.

STORING: Keep the marshmallows in a cool, dry place; don't cover them closely. Stored in this way, they will keep for about 1 week -- they might develop a little crust on the outside or they might get a little firmer on the inside, but they'll still be very good.

Playing Around
RASPBERRY MARSHMALLOWS: Fruit purees are excellent for flavoring these candies.
For raspberry marshmallows, you'll need a generous 1/3 cup of puree; reduce the vanilla extract to 1/4 teaspoon. After the batter is mixed, gently fold in the puree with a rubber spatula. You can use the same measurements and technique for other purees, such as strawberry, mango and passion fruit.
CAPPUCCINO MARSHMALLOWS: Sift 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 2 tablespoons instant espresso powder and 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon together into a small bowl. Stir in 1/3 cup boiling water and mix until smooth. Reduce the vanilla extract to 1/2 teaspoon, and add it to the espresso mix. After you add the sugar syrup and gelatin to the meringue, beat in the espresso mixture and continue.
LIGHT CHOCOLATE MARSHMALLOWS: Melt 3 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate and stir in 2 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder. Reduce the vanilla extract to 1/4 teaspoon, and after the marshmallow batter is mixed, fold in the chocolate mixture with a large rubber spatula.
PUMPKIN SPICE MARSHMALLOWS: Whisk together 1/2 cup canned unsweetened pumpkin puree, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg and a pinch of ground allspice. After the marshmallow batter is mixed, fold in the spiced pumpkin with a large rubber spatula.
Up next week...Uggs FAVORITE: Carrot Cake!

TWD: The Most Extraordinary Lemon Cream Tart

I'm not gonna lie. I wanted this one for myself. I have been eyeing this recipe for awhile, wanting really badly to make it...but, thinking, "no, I'll just make it my TWD pick"...well. Mary over at Starting From Scratch got to it before me! I'm really excited, because we were able to choose the Orange or Lemon..looking forward to seeing everyone's pick!

Alas...I wasn't too disappointed. There are SO many more recipes in this book that I'm anxious to try...I will just wait until the week before my pick to get my heart set on one! In any event, Mary made a GREAT pick. This recipe was OUTSTANDING. No kidding. I am a lover of Lemon Meringue Pie...but I love this even more.

The cream is SO smooth and dreamy (if I may steal Dorie's adjective, because I can't really think of another one). It probably has nothing to do with the 2+ sticks of butter that go into it!

While my lemon, sugar and eggs never got to the requied 180 degrees, it thickened up nicely. It has been said that using a metal bowl will encourage the cream to a higher temperature. I will certainly try that next time (and there *will* be a next time). I will say, I was tempted to skip the straining, because I don't mind the lemon zest....but, I am glad I did...because that just made this cream even more smooth and creamy.

If you're waiting for a Tuesdays with Dorie recipe to try, THIS is the one...

Thanks to Mary for a GREAT choice! Here is the recipe:

1 cup sugar
Grated zest of 3 lemons
4 large eggs
3/4 fresh lemon juice (from 4-5 lemons)
2 sticks plus 5 tablespoons butter (10 1/2 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon size pieces, at room temperature.
1 9-inch tart shell made with Sweet Tart Dough fully baked and cooled

Getting Ready:

Have an instant read thermometer, a strainer and a blender (first choice) or food processor at hand. Bring a few inches of water to a simmer in a saucepan.

Put the sugar and zest in a large heatproof bowl that can be set over the pan of simmering water. Off the heat, rub the sugar and zest together between your fingers until the sugar is moist, grainy and very aromatic. Whisk in the eggs, followed by the lemon juice.
Set the bowl oever the pan and start stirring with the whisk as soon as the mixture feels tepid to the touch: Cook the lemon cream until it reaches 180 degrees F. As you whisk - you must whisk constantly to keep the eggs from scrambling - you'll see the cream will start out light and foamy, then the bubbles will get bigger, and then, as it gets closer to 180 degrees F, it will start to thicken and the whisk will leave tracks. Heads up at this point - the tracks mean the cream is almost ready. Don't stop whisking or checking the temperature, and have patience - depending on how much heat you're giving the cream, getting to temp can take as long as 10 minutes.

As soon as it reaches 180 degrees F, remove the cream from the heat and strain it into the container of the blender (or food processor); discard the zest. Let the cream stand, stirring occasionally, until it cools to 140 degrees F, about 10 minutes.

Turn the blender to high (or turn on the processor) and, with the machine going, add the butter about 5 pieces at a time. Scrape down the sides of the container as needed as you incorporate the butter. Once the butter is in, keep the machine going - to get te perfect light, airy, texture of lemon-cream dreams, you must continue to blend the cream for another 3 minutes. If your machine protests and gets a bit too hot, work in 1-minute intervals, giving the machine a little rest between beats.

Pour the cream into a container, press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface to create an airtight seal and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. (The cream will keep in the fridge for 4 days, or tightly sealed, in the freezer for up to 2 months; thaw it overnight in the refrigerator).

When you are ready to assemble the tart, just whisk the cream to loosen it and spoon it into the tart shell. Serve the tart, or refrigerate until needed.

Sweet Tart Dough
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick plus 1 tablespoon (9 tablespoons) very cold (or frozen) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg yolk
Put the flour, confectioners' sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse a couple of times to combine. Scatter the pieces of butter over the dry ingredients and pulse until the butter is coarsely cut in—you should have some pieces the size of oatmeal flakes and some the size of peas. Stir the yolk, just to break it up, and add it a little at a time, pulsing after each addition. When the egg is in, process in long pulses—about 10 seconds each—until the dough, which will look granular soon after the egg is added, forms clumps and curds. Just before you reach this stage, the sound of the machine working the dough will change—heads up. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and, very lightly and sparingly, knead the dough just to incorporate any dry ingredients that might have escaped mixing.

To press the dough into the pan: Butter a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Press the dough evenly over the bottom and up the sides of the pan, using all but one little piece of dough, which you should save in the refrigerator to patch any cracks after the crust is baked. Don't be too heavy-handed—press the crust in so that the edges of the pieces cling to one another, but not so hard that the crust loses its crumbly texture. Freeze the crust for at least 30 minutes, preferably longer, before baking.

To partially or fully bake the crust: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter the shiny side of a piece of aluminum foil and fit the foil, buttered side down, tightly against the crust. (Since you froze the crust, you can bake it without weights.) Put the tart pan on a baking sheet and bake the crust for 25 minutes. Carefully remove the foil. If the crust has puffed, press it down gently with the back of a spoon. For a partially baked crust, patch the crust if necessary, then transfer the crust to a cooling rack (keep it in its pan).

To fully bake the crust: Bake for another 8 minutes or so, or until it is firm and golden brown. (I dislike lightly baked crusts, so I often keep the crust in the oven just a little longer. If you do that, just make sure to keep a close eye on the crust's progress—it can go from golden to way too dark in a flash.) Transfer the tart pan to a rack and cool the crust to room temperature before filling.

To patch a partially or fully baked crust, if necessary: If there are any cracks in the baked crust, patch them with some of the reserved raw dough as soon as you remove the foil. Slice off a thin piece of the dough, place it over the crack, moisten the edges and very gently smooth the edges into the baked crust. If the tart will not be baked again with its filling, bake for another 2 minutes or so, just to take the rawness off the patch.

You'll have to check out everyone else's here, because some people chose the Orange Cream, and some the lemon...and some chose the Sweet Tart Dough, and some chose the Spiced. Check it out! I can't wait to see what everyone does.

Up next week: Marshmallows!