Pumpkin Cake

Pumpkin Cake 
Source: Maida Heatter's Book of Great Desserts (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 1999 ed.), pg. 94.

Another pumpkin recipe but hey, it is that time of year. This is an easy-to-make and assemble cake that is moist and delicious. Definitely not for the diet conscious! I thought the 2 cups of sugar sounded excessive and I might substitute some apple sauce to counter that. I may try that in the future. However, this is a great cake just the way it is listed.

I found that I did not have allspice in my pantry. Fret not - you can use equal amounts of cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg.

3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
1 TBS. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. powdered ginger
1/2 tsp. powdered cloves
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. allspice
1 tsp. salt
5 oz. (1 cup) raisins, dark, light or mixed
3 1/2 oz. (1 cup) walnuts, broken into medium sized pieces
2 cups pumpkin
2 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups safflower oil, corn oil, or other salad oil
4 eggs
Optional: Confectioners sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Butter or spray a tube or Bundt pan. Generously dust with bread crumbs. 

Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, allspice and salt.

 

Add a tablespoon of the sifted mixture to the raisins in a small bowl. Use your fingers to toss the raisins to coat them. Stir in the nuts and set aside.

 

In a mixer bowl, mix together the pumpkin, sugar and oil.

Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well.

Lower the speed and add the sifted dry ingredients, beating until smooth.

Stir in the nuts and raisins. Turn into the prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour or until cake tester comes out clean.

Cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 10 minutes before removing. When cool, the top of the cake can be sprinkled with confectioners sugar.

Pearl's Southampton Fruitcake (Classic Fruitcake)

Pearl's Southampton Fruitcake (Classic Fruitcake)
Source: Maida Heatter's Cakes (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 2011 ed.), pg. 152.

I've never attempted a fruitcake before so this is a first for me. First Michael said "why spend all that money on this - no one likes fruitcake!" Well, he still has not tried the finished product. I just took a bite after letting it sit in the refrigerator for one week after baking. It is good, very rich and boozy! A small portion is enough to satisfy because it is very rich. I think fruitcake is something that grows on you. I found myself craving another bite the next day. 

First of all, I decided to cut the ingredients in half - after all, I don't really think I need 16-18 lbs. of cake. If you do want that much, the recipe as written makes that much, enough for 4, 5 or 6 cakes.  If you need the full recipe, you can find it here on the Saveur website.

Making this cake is a time-consuming process and must be planned well in advance. I usually think of making fruitcake every year around Christmas time, which is too late to start. This year, I started early, however, I could have started even earlier.

The following is a list of the fruits I used and keep in mind that the recipe as written in the book doubles this. You can substitute other types of fruit for those that you cannot find (I can never find currants). Also, you can buy containers of ready-made "fruitcake mix" which consists of chopped lemon peel, orange peel and other ingredients. This makes it much easier and not as expensive (although this is an expensive cake!).

Phase 1 - Marinating the fruit

6 1/2 cups of fruitcake mix or a mixture of any of the following: currants, pitted dates, dried apricots, dried prunes, dried figs, candied ginger, candied lemon rind, candied orange rind, candied cherries, candied citron and candied pineapple. (The dates, apricots, figs, prunes and other large pieces of fruit should be chopped)
1 1/2 cups raisins
1/2 cup cognac or brandy
1/4 cup Grand Marnier

(These amounts can be doubled)

Place the fruit in a large bowl.

 

Add the brandy (or cognac) and the Grand Marnier.

 

Stir to mix well.

Store this mixture in an airtight glass or plastic container for one week or more (the recipe doesn't say it has to be stored in the refrigerator but a lot of similar recipes do. I've opted to let mine sit at room temperature). From time to time, shake the container from side to side and up and down to redistribute the marinate.

Phase 2 - Baking the Cake

1 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 TBS. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. mace
1 tsp. powdered instant coffee or expresso
2 sticks unsalted butter (softened)
3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
5 eggs
3/4 cup molasses
3 1/2 cups pecan halves
3 1/2 cups walnut halves or large pieces
Additional cognac and/or Grand Marnier (to be used after the cake has baked)

Preheat oven to 225 (if any hotter, the cakes will burn). Butter the sides only of two 9 or 10 inch cake pans (the pans should be at least 1 1/2 inches deep). Use a baking liner or cut aluminum foil to cover the bottom of the pans. Butter the liners or foil as well.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, cocoa, cloves, cinnamon, mace and instant coffee (or expresso) and set aside.

Cream the butter.

Add the brown sugar.

Mix well until it is light in color.

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. The mixture will look curdled.

Lower the mixer speed and add the dry ingredients in three additions, alternating with...

the molasses.

Transfer the mixture to a large bowl.

Now it is time to add the fruit to the mixture.

Add the nuts.

Mix well with a wooden spoon.

Divide the batter evenly among the pans and pat down well to eliminate air pockets. The batter may come all the way to the top of the pans.

Ready to bake! Bake for 5  hours, reversing the pans once or twice during baking. Make sure the oven is at 225 - use an oven thermometer if you are unsure. After removing the cakes from the oven, let them cool for about 30 minutes on wire racks. Then carefully invert and remove from pans (you may need to take a sharp knife and cut around the perimeter of the pan to release).

Allow the cakes to cool completely. Then brush them with more cognac or Grand Marnier (or even better, use a mixture of both liquors). Wrap the cakes in plastic wrap and store them in the refrigerator for at least one week. Every few days, take them out and brush them again with the liquors. The cakes can be stored in the refrigerator or frozen. (You may still brush them with liquor  - if frozen, allow them to stand at room temperature an hour before applying). 

If you are giving the cakes as gifts, tell the recipient to keep the cake in the refrigerator or freeze. It should be cut when it is very cold.

Pumpkin Gingerbread

Pumpkin Gingerbread
Source: Maida Heatter's Cakes (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 2011 ed.), pg. 297.

What says Fall better than pumpkin? This is a wonderful loaf cake that combines the flavor of pumpkin with ginger and other spices. It is good for breakfast or anytime for that matter. It also makes a nice gift. 

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. powdered ginger
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. cloves
1/4 tsp. dry powdered mustard
4 oz. (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup strong prepared black coffee
1 cup mashed pumpkin
7 oz. (2 cups) pecans, cut or broken into large pieces

Preheat oven to 350.

Butter a loaf pan that has the capacity for 7 cups (9x5x3 or similar); dust with fine, dry bread crumbs. Set aside.

Sift together the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves and mustard. Set aside.

 

Cream the butter in a mixing bowl and add the sugar. 

Add the eggs and beat to mix.

On low speed, add about half of the dry ingredients.

Add the coffee.

Add the remaining dry ingredients, beating until mixed.

Add the pumpkin. Mix well (scrape the sides of the bowl as necessary)

Remove the bowl from the mixer stand and stir in the pecans.

Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf pan. Use a spatula and form a trench down the middle which will prevent the middle from rising too high.

Bake for 65-75 minutes until a tester comes out clean.

Cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes and transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Palm Beach Biscotti

Palm Beach Biscotti
Source: Maida Heatter's Brand-New Book of Great Cookies (Random House, 1995 ed.), pg. 31.

This is the third biscotti recipe that I have tried from Maida's book "Maida Heatter's Brand-New Book of Great Cookies". The entire first chapter is devoted to biscotti and there are about 10 recipes altogether. The previous recipes I tried (Barbara's Milk Chocolate Biscotti and Macadamia Shortbread Biscotti) were so popular with friends and family that they have been pestering me to make more.

Biscotti is surprisingly easy to make but it does take some time as you have to freeze it and rebake it a second time. The hardest part for me is during the final baking and removing it from the oven before it overbakes. You have to keep a constant eye on it.

The great thing about biscotti is that is will last forever if stored in an airtight container. I made this batch to take on our beach vacation a few weeks ago. I didn't have time to get final photos so I left a some in the kitchen so I could take the photos after we returned. That batch tastes the same as the previous one. 

If you like biscotti (and it is addictive), try and make your own. It is so much better than that purchased in stores.

1 1/2 cups sifted unbleached flour
Scant 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
4 oz. (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
10 oz. (3 cups) pecan halves (or large pieces)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and use the lower 1/3 rack. Butter 2 loaf pans (they need to have a 6 cup capacity) and dust them generously with fine, dry bread crumbs and set aside.

Sift together the flour, salt and baking powder. Set aside.

Beat the butter until soft and add the vanilla extract.

 

Add the sugar...

 

Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well.

On low speed, add the sifted dry ingredients until mixed.

Remove the bowl from the mixer stand and stir in the pecans.

Divide the batter between the 2 loaf pans - smooth the tops. Form a trench down the middle of each loaf - this will prevent them from forming a high mound.

Bake for about 55 minutes, reversing the pans about halfway through to ensure evening baking.

Wet 2 paper towels, fold them in half and place on top of each loaf. This will prevent a crust from forming on top of the loaves that would crumble when cut.

Now cover with aluminum foil. Let the cakes cool.

After cooling, remove the aluminum foil and the paper towels. Carefully removed from the pans. The loaves will be very shallow. Wrap the loaves in plastic wrap and freeze for several hours or longer.

After removing the loaves from the freezer, allow them to sit for about 5 minutes to slightly thaw. Use a long, serrated bread knife (or similar) to slice the cake into thin slices. Preheat your oven to 325 while doing this.

The sliced pieces must now be baked again. Place them on an unlined cookie sheet. Return them to the 325 degree oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes (it may take longer depending on the thickness). Watch them carefully - as soon as they start to change color (to a darker brown), remove them from the oven. You may have to remove them one at a time as they will not all bake at the same time. Place them on paper towels to cool. After cooling, they can be stored in an airtight container.