Pineapple Upside-Down Cake!

Have you ever been flipping through a magazine in the checkout line and notice a dessert called “Pineapple upside down cake,” but it looks perfectly right side up? It’s an interesting concept, but the topping is cooked on the bottom and then flipped! I have to thank King Arthur Flour for the base of this recipe! Either way you slice it, this is a delicious cake! Here’s how:

Ingredients:

Cake batter:

Dry:

2 C All-purpose Flour

2 t baking powder

½ t salt

½ t ground cinnamon (if you’re more of a cinnamon guru, up this to ¾ t)

Wet:

½ C butter (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temp

1 C granulated sugar

2 large eggs, separated, room temp

½ C milk, room temp

1 t vanilla extract

Topping:

2 tablespoons of butter, melted

½ C Dark Brown Sugar

½ C Light Brown sugar

20 oz can pineapple rings preserved in pineapple juice, drained

24 maraschino cherries (you can get by with 15 or so. . . )

Other Stuff:

Large mixing bowl

Stand mixer/hand held mixer fitted with paddle or beaters

High sided small bowl for beating egg whites

9” (measured of bottom diameter) X 2” cast-iron skillet. 

Pastry brush/silicone basting brush

Serving platter at least 11”in diameter.

Instructions:

Separate Eggs and allow to come to room temp along with butter. Drain a 20 oz can or pinneapple rings.  (I generally set out my eggs to come to room temp then separate. . . whatever works best for your time frame. . . )

Preheat oven to 350 DegF with racks placed in the middle and lower third of the oven. 

Whisk together the Dry ingredients in large mixing bowl and set aside.

Break up the butter until it coats the bowl and then add sugar and beat/cream for about 3 minutes. Meanwhile, with a whisk beat your egg whites until frothy and set aside.  

Make sure to scrape down the sides of the butter bowl at least once during the creaming process. Add the egg yolks to the butter and sugar and mix and scrape the bowl once more. Add in vanilla and whiz once more.

Now you’re ready to mix in the Dry ingredients alternating with the milk, starting with 1/3 of the dry, ½ milk, 1/3 dry, ½ milk and ending with the last third of the dry. The batter will be rather thick here.

It’s now time to fold in the egg whites. Slack the batter up with 1/3-1/2 of the egg white mixture by “cutting down the middle and going round the outside.” Continue until no frothy white mixture is visible. Fold in the last of the egg whites.  After your batter is smooth, set it aside while you prepare the pan and topping.

In your skillet, melt the butter make sure to work it around the pan bottom and pull it up the sides of the pan with a pastry/basting brush to ensure the release of the cake batter once baked. Sprinkle and spread the brown sugar mixture over the bottom of the pan atop the butter. Don’t “pack” it.  Cover with drained pineapple rings. The size of ring/pan will determine the actual number, but mine is generally between 7 and 8. . .  Pour over rested batter and spread evenly across the pineapple and brown sugar topping.

Place in the middle of the oven for 40-50 minutes.  I like to turn my pan ½ way through a la “20 and turn.”  Mine took about 42 minutes total to bake. The cake is fully baked when it’s a nice golden color, it bounces back, and a cake tester comes out clean. 

After baked, within 3 minutes, loosen the sides of the cake with an offset spatula or butter knife. Then place your serving platter on top of the pan and invert the cake. If one or two of the pineapples have stuck, DON’T worry! You can scrape them off and make sure to put the brown sugar side up on top of the upside-down cake.

THEN, put on your cherries in the middle of each ring and in any space that you see fit. I try to make mine as symmetrical as possible. 

NOW, you need to let the cake cool for about 30 minutes before serving. The BEST part is this cake will last for several days in the fridge wrapped directly with plastic wrap. SO, you could even make it a couple of days ahead during a busy holiday season!

Will Bake 4 Food RSS

Citrus Dream Bundt Cake

Have you ever been walking through a store and you see “lemon pound cake” and wonder, “Does it really weigh a pound?” Well, by the time you’re done with this recipe, it won’t matter how much it weighs because it’s DELICIOUS! This is an adaptation of King Arthur Flour’s Lemon Bliss Cake. Here’s our Will Bake 4 Food twist:

Ingredients:

Cake:

WET:

^8 oz of butter, I always use salted, at room temp

2 C Granulated Sugar

4 Large Eggs, room temp

1 C milk, whole is best, room temp

Zest of 2 large lemons

DRY:

3 C All-Purpose flour

^½ t salt

2 t baking powder

^if using unsalted butter, increase salt in dry mixture to 1 t

Glaze:

1/3 C Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice (Use those two that you zested)

¾ C sugar

Icing (optional, but TRUST me, don’t skip it!):

1 ½ C powdered sugar, sifted

2 T salted butter, melted

1 ½ t. pure vanilla extract

2-3 T freshly squeezed Lemon juice (I had enough from my 2 lemons)

12-15 Candied lemon slices.

Other Stuff:

Bundt pan (10-12 cup)

Non-stick cooking spray, I use Baker’s Joy

Stand/handheld mixer, fitted with paddle/beater attachment

High rimmed serving platter

Heavy bottomed pot for glaze to dissolve

Small/medium mixing bowl

Wooden spoon

Instructions:

Allow butter to come to room temperature. Measure out the milk and in a separate bowl break eggs open into a bowl to allow the chill to be knocked off while putting everything together. Preheat oven to 350DegF. Thoroughly grease a standard 10-12 Cup bundt pan.

In a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment or hand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. This is the part that I’ve learned takes WAY longer than we might think. I literally set my timer for about 3 minutes and let it go. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl measure out flour salt and baking powder and whisk together, set aside.

Into the creamed butter and sugar, add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. After the final addition, scrape down to bowl to ensure all of the creamed butter is coated and the mixture is homogeneous. Add the Dry mixture in three parts alternately with the milk, starting and ending with the dry. Lastly, pour in lemon zest and then give a final mix.

With a spatula spoon the batter into your pre-greased bundt pan and smooth the top out. TAP on a hard surface to release any air bubbles that may have formed in the batter from this pouring.

Bake in the center of the oven for about 55 minutes. I usually do “25 and turn” and then start testing after 50 minutes. Once a toothpick/cake tester come out clean midway from flute to edge of the pan, the cake is DONE!

In the last 5 minutes of baking, begin your glaze by combining the sugar and lemon juice in a heavy bottomed pot (or if you feel comfortable microwaving, that’s an option). Stir and place over med-high heat. Heat just until sugar is dissolved. No need to boil.  Once cake has passed the done testing, remove from oven and carefully loosen edges of cake from pan with an offset spatula or a butter knife, Don’t forget the flute! With a cooling rack placed on the top of the pan, invert and allow the cake to cool for about 5 minutes in the pan. I like to put wax or parchment paper underneath my cooling rack during this time. Remove the pan and with a brush, apply glaze until it’s all gone; THIS is why I use wax paper. Let the cake cool completely before applying the final icing.

Mix the confectioner’s sugar, melted butter, and vanilla together then gradually add in the lemon juice to get the consistency that you would like. You may not use all of the lemon juice prepared.

Pour the icing over the cake making sure that the icing runs toward the inside as well as the outside of the bundt shape.

Finally, garnish by making a slit in the lemon slices and spreading them so that they stand up all around the iced cake.

It does take a little time, but the result of your guests eyes will be mesmerized by this Citrus Dream! 

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Angel Food Cake

Have you ever been in a grocery store and in the bakery there are a ton of “angel food” cakes? They’re really not that hard to make and with a few tips, here’s a no fail way to succeed at making one from scratch!

Ingredients:

DRY mixture:

1/2 C Granulated Sugar

1 C Cake Flour

¼ t salt

WET mixture:

12 large egg whites, room temp

1 t cream of tartar

1 C granulated sugar

2 t pure vanilla extract

Other Stuff:

Hand Held/ Stand mixer with beater/whisk attachment

Fine mesh sieve

Large bowl for measuring

Large, wide bowl for mixing.

Removable bottom 10" flute pan 

Vinegar or lemon juice for cleaning bowl

“safety bowl” for separating eggs

Instructions:

Separate eggs and make sure they are to room temperature before beginning your other prep. Preheat oven to 350 Deg F with one wrack positioned directly in the center of the oven. 

In a bowl, measure out the cake flour and sift with ½ C sugar and salt thrice. I like to use my other large mixing bowl to alternate finishing so that the wide bowl is empty. After the final time, whisk just to be sure they are well combined.  Set this Dry mixture aside.

In your stand mixer put all of the egg whites in and beat for about 30 seconds to break them up. Add in your cream of tartar and beat for about 2-3 minutes until you can see whisk streaks in the mixture (soft peaks). Then gradually add the 1 C of granulated sugar about a tablespoon at a time to ensure that the sugar dissolves between each addition. Once all of the sugar is in, beat until you have stiff peaks (about another 2-3 minutes).  Check just to be sure that the sugar is dissolved by rubbing a bit between your fingers. If not yet dissolved, whisk for a little while longer.

Transfer the meringue to the wide bowl and in three additions, fold in the dry ingredient mixture. “Down the middle and around the outside” between each addition of the dry ingredients. Be sure to turn bowl as you go and go all the way under once or twice to ensure no dry pockets are left unincorporated.

Transfer to UNGREASED fluted pan in “dollops.” Then with an offset spatula or butter knife, zig zag through the batter to decrease air pockets.

Bake the cake for 30-40 minutes (mine took 38). Do not open oven for first 30 minutes.

The cake is done when a toothpick inserted at the halfway point between the flute and the rim comes out clean. Invert the cake on the feet of the pan or with a bottle in the center of the fluteto cool for 1 ½ -2 hours.

Unmold by running a butter knife or a flat skinny spatula along the edges and flute. Pop out the flute and then run the knife between the cake and the bottom of the pan to remove.

The cake will keep about 2-3 days (if it lasts that long) at room temp in airtight container or wrapped in plastic wrap. Though it can stand alone, served with whipped cream and freshly macerated fruit, it’s amazing!

Enjoy this Heavenly Angel Food Cake! 

Will Bake 4 Food RSS

Cake Pops!

Have you ever been walking through a coffee shop and see “Cake Pops” in the display case? Follow this recipe, and I’ll show you how to make these DELICIOUS cake pops at home! These are a super great treat for a birthday party for kids! They aren’t very big and don’t require a LOT of cleanup either. . .

Ingredients:

1  9-inch vanilla cake layer ( I use Martha Stewart’s Vanilla cake) 

c. 1 ½ C of my Brown Sugar Buttercream (1 stick butter's worth) 

6- 8 oz. semi-sweet candy coating chocolate, melted

½-1 t. vegetable shortening

Other Stuff:

Popsicle sticks (I use 6 in.)

Heated pot for melting candy, I have This one

Large bowl

1 T kitchenspoon

Ungreased cookie sheet

Silpat or parchment

Oasis Foam

Tape

Wrapping Paper

Instructions:

Line an ungreased baking sheet with parchment/silpat.

The order of operations is malleable for sure, BUT if you’re baking the cake the day of this project, be sure that it has time to cool completely before using.  You will have to have part of the chocolate melted to help put the pops together, so I start with chopping and melting about ½ of my chocolate. Meanwhile, you can make the Brown Sugar Buttercream (only about 10 minutes) and break up the cake. Once the cake is broken in to crumbs, you can start to incorporate the buttercream a little at a time. It’s important not to add it all at once, as you may not need it ALL depending on your cake.

Once your cake is incorporated and you have a dough that holds together with what appears as “layers” when some is broken off, you’re ready to form the cake balls. I use a large kitchen spoon (c. 1-1 1/2 T) to break off a bit of the dough; then between cupped palms of my hands, I roll each ball out into as smooth a ball as possible. Take one of the popsicle sticks, dip in the melted chocolate, and put into the bake ball. Place this stick side up on your parchment lined baking sheet. I can get 7 rows of 5 on my sheet. Place your pan into the fridge for about 30 minutes to chill.

While you’re chilling the dough balls, you can work on chopping the rest of the chocolate and thinning it with shortening; you want it to be runny as to help form a smooth layer on the cake balls. Also, you can now prepare your oasis by taping 3 standard blocks together and then wrapping like a present. I had to pre “puncture” my holes just because of the tape. . .

Once your dough is chilled, you can begin dipping the pops! Tip the reservoir and submerge a pop far enough for the melted chocolate to cover all of the dough (my benchmark is if it’s touching the chocolate just around the stick). THEN, pinch the stick with two fingers almost in the chocolate reservoir, with your other hand on the farthest end of the stick from the reservoir, spin back and forth as to get the excess chocolate off of the ball. Invert the stick with the ball up and stick it in your wrapped foam. Let these stand at room temp for about 5 minutes after the last one is finished and then refrigerate for about 30 minutes before a final storage of lying them flat in an airtight container.

IF you want to decorate with a different flavor/color of chocolate with swirls or flowers, they will need to chill again before that time. You will have some that crack. I found that the shortening does help with this response of the temperature change . . .

And in just a couple hours, you have delicious cake pops better than the coffee shop version! Enjoy! 

Will Bake 4 Food RSS

HUMMINGBIRD CAKE!!

FIRST off, no hummingbirds were harmed in the making of this cake.
Secondly, I’ve made this cake for YEARS! Thank you Art Smith for the recipe. As all things get better with age, many of the components of this have changed. Though it doesn’t have our “Will Bake 4 Food” Branding, here’s an example of my making this with my sous chef from YEARS ago!

Here is the recipe that I used for this iteration:
Ingredients:
DRY:
3 Cups self-rising flour
2 Cups granulated sugar
1 t ground cinnamon
½ t salt
WET:
2 C chopped ripe bananas, (It was about 3 bananas for me)
1 C crushed pineapple, about 15 oz can drained
1 C vegetable oil
2 large eggs, beaten
1½ t pure vanilla extract
ICING:
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
8 ounces butter (2 sticks), at room temperature
1 lb. confectioners' sugar (about 4½ cups sifted, after sifted/aerated, it yields a GREAT deal more)
1-2 t vanilla extract (depending on taste preference)

Instructions:

Position racks in your oven to middle and lower 3rd of the oven.  Preheat oven to 350degF
Lightly butter/ dust with flour 2 9inch cake pans. I like to use the Baker’s Joy instead! If you would like to use parchment paper in the bottom of the pan, now’s the time! I’ve had no trouble with the cakes sticking, but maybe I’m just lucky?

In a large bowl, sift together all of the dry ingredients; also, whisk so that they are evenly distributed.

In a separate bowl, whisk or stir together your wet ingredients.  You don’t want the bananas to be complete mush, so I would avoid using a mixer here.

There are TWO schools of thought here, in the video above, I absolutely follow the recipe to a T! In my experience, I’ve learned that incorporating a little of the dry into the wet at a time is the most successful method. SO, about 1/3 at a time, sprinkle the Dry ingredients over the wet ingredients and fold in with a spatula. . . I use a Spirtle!

Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans. I now use a scale to make sure that I’m within a ½ oz. between the pans. If you want to “eyeball” it, make sure that there is about the same amount in both pans or ONE will cook mega fast and the other will take like 3 days! LOL

Bake in the preheated oven 30-35 minutes (it takes 39 minutes in my ancient oven) on the center rack.  I rotated my pans after 15 minutes because I have a hot spot in my oven. . . the tell of “Doneness” is when the center is set and springs back when you push on it. For me, about minute 35, there would still be finger prints visible when pushed. . . by 39 minutes, it bounced back! Once finished baking, pull the pans out and let cool for about 10-15 minutes before “de panning”.

“Depan” by loosening the cake from the sides with a butter knife, then placing a wire rack on top of the pan, invert the pan. The cake is now upside down! SO, with another wire rack, put the cake right side up to cool completely.

While your cakes are cooling, you can prep your icing! With a hand with beaters or stand mixer with whisk attachment cream together your cream cheese and butter until fluffy, then add in vanilla. Add in the confectioner’s sugar a little at a time while on low speed until there aren’t loose particles of sugar and then put it on high speed to mix a beautiful frosting.

This is the way we did it: if using the additional butter cream, once your buttercream (s) are done and your cakes are cooled, we get to put it together! Place one layer right side up on your serving platter; then use the additional lemon buttercream to cover this with an even layer. Then put the next layer upside down on top of the icing. This results with a flat top! NOW, with an offset spatula, spread the cream cheese buttercream over the top and sides as if making a “crumb” coat. Fill a piping bag with a star tip with the remaining cream cheese buttercream and decorate to your liking*!

Additional Icing for in between cakes:
½ C vegetable shortening
½ C (1 stick) of butter
1 t vanilla extract
2 t lemon extract*
4 C (1 lb.) of confectioner’s sugar, sifted (yields much more once sifted/aerated)
2 T of milk for thinning
*Indicates an optional step/ingredients

Instructions:
Beat together butter, shortening, vanilla, and lemon until fluffy. Add in sugar a little at a time with mixer on slow speed. Then turn it to FAST and mix until fluffy. Add milk a little at a time while mixing until you achieve the consistency that you want. We only did about 1 T because we wanted it a little thicker.

If you are in a rush, but still want this delicious confection to take to a party/work, follow the above directions and skip the additional buttercream and piping.  Layer the cakes with about 2/3 C of the creamcheese buttercream in between them and then using offset spatula, coat the outside with the remaining buttercream!

The cake can be made about a day ahead and be stored uncovered in the refrigerator. Let it stand out about an hour to allow the cream cheese to soften before serving!

Et voilá! You have a hummingbrid cake!

*indicates an optional step/ingredients