December 29, 2011: Black Forest Bundt Cake Recipe

I wanted to make a really special dessert for Christmas and I knew that everyone in the family loved chocolate. Me? Not so much. But a Black Forest cake is a way to please everyone, including myself. I found a recipe for Black Forest Bars in an old cookbook but since it called for an odd-sized pan, I decided to adapt it for a Bundt cake pan. And since I couldn’t find any kirsch liqueur at the grocery store, I decided to use almond flavoring, which goes really well with cherries and chocolate. The result is this recipe, which is quite delish; the bottom crust layer adds another texture to make it extra special.

Black Forest Bundt Cake

Shortbread Crust:

¾ cup almond meal

2 T. sugar

½ t. baking powder

6 T. butter, chilled

Cake:

3 eggs, separated

¼ cup warm water

1 t. almond extract

½ cup sugar

¾ cup sifted flour

¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 ½ t. baking powder

1 can cherry pie filling

1 t. amaretto

Cream Filling:

1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream

2 t. amaretto

¼ cup powdered sugar

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Prepare crust by blending together almond meal, sugar and baking powder. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or two knives until mixture resembles fine meal. Pat mixture into 9” round cake pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack.

To make cake, beat together egg yolks and water until foamy. Add almond extract and sugar; beat until thick and pale. Mix together flour, cocoa powder and baking powder; pour into sifter. Gradually sift into egg yolk mixture, folding in while sifting. Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry; fold into batter. Pour batter into bundt cake that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray with flour. Bake at 375 degrees 15 to 20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean. Remove to rack and let cool for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool completely; cut in half horizontally to make two layers.

To prepare cream filling, whip cream until peaks form. Add amaretto and powdered sugar and continue to beat until stiff.

Mix one teaspoon amaretto into cherry pie filling.

To assemble cake, carefully turn crust pan upside down over serving plate and tap bottom to release crust. Spread cherry pie filling over crust. Place bottom layer of cake on top of cherry pie filling. Spread 2/3 of whipped cream filling over cake, place top layer of cake on top of whipped cream. Place remaining whipped cream in a pastry bag with decorative tip and pipe rosettes on top of cake. Refrigerate until serving.

Serves 12 – 16

March 18, 2011: Apple Spice Cake Recipe

I’ve been pressed into service once again – this time making a baked goodie to sell tomorrow morning at a bake sale for American Indian Christian Mission. I wasn’t sure what I was going to make but I had some granny smith apples that needed to get used up so I settled on his recipe for apple spice cake.

It’s a really dense cake that gets moist when you pour the sauce on top. It reminds me of a rum cake, honestly. Although the recipe calls for brandy, I substituted amaretto, because that’s what I had. I think the almond and apple flavors melded nicely – but now I’m second guessing my choice to make an alcohol-laced cake for a church bake sale. Ah, well, there’s no turning back now!

Here’s the recipe as it was printed in Relish Magazine plus a few small alterations, a la Candy. BTW, the cake looks awful in this photo but looked much better on the plate - it's really not green...

Apple Spice Cake

Cake:
1 ¼ cup vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
3 cups flour
1 ¼ t. ground cinnamon
½ t. ground cloves
½ t. ground cardamom
1 t. baking soda
½ t. salt
3 ¼ cups coarsely chopped, peeled and cored apples (such as Cortland, Empire, or Winesap – I used 6 medium granny smith apples)
3 T. brandy (I substituted amaretto, or you could use 1 teaspoon vanilla)

Glaze:
¼ cup butter
2 T. brown sugar
6 T. granulated sugar
3 T. brandy (again, I used amaretto but you could substitute 1 teaspoon vanilla)
2 T. heavy cream (I used half and half since that’s what I had on hand)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a bundt pan (or use cooking spray for baking).

Combine oil and sugar (I used my Kitchenaid stand mixer) in a large mixing bowl. Beat with a wire whisk until thick and opaque. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.

Sift together flour, spices (I just pumpkin pie spice plus a bit extra cinnamon), baking soda and salt. Add flour mixture to egg mixture; blend well. Add apples and brandy all at once and stir until apples are evenly distributed.

Pour batter in prepared pan. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan.

While cake is baking, make glaze. Melt butter in a saucepan over low-medium heat and stir in sugars. Add brandy and cream; stir well. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 4 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

After you’ve plated the cake, poke holes in it all over with a toothpick. Slowly pour the glaze over the top.