Poppy Seed Cake

Poppy Seed Cake (Source: Maida Heatter's Cakes (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 2011 ed., pg. 27). Also in Maida Heatter's New Book of Great Desserts (Alfred A. Knopf, 1982, pg. 118).

I have made poppy seed cakes in the past but for some reason, I had never tried Maida's recipe. It is good but tasted a bit bland so I added a lemon frosting to give it a bit of oomph. Actually, a lemon glaze might have worked best, but this was good and got some raves from the folks at my workplace. 

This recipe was given to Maida by the chef of Chocolat bakery in San Francisco.

2 cups unsifted all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

8 oz unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

5 large eggs, separated, plus 1 additional white 

1 cup sour cream

1/4 cup poppy seeds

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

1/4 tsp. cream of tartar

Preheat oven to 350. Use a plain tube pan (the kind that comes in two pieces) - do not butter or line the pan.

Sift together the first three ingredients and set aside. 

Cream the butter. Add 1 1/4 cups of the sugar (reserving 1/4 cup) and beat several minutes until light and creamy. Add the egg yolks and beat for 2 or 3 minutes, scraping the bowl as necessary.

In a small bowl, stir the sour cream, poppy seeds and vanilla together.

Beat about 1/3 of the flour mixture into the butter. Add the sour cream mixture, beating only until incorporated. Add the remaining flour mixture.

In a separate mixing bowl, beat the egg whites with the salt until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and beat until stiff peaks form. Gradually add the 1/4 sugar. 

Fold 1/4 of the whites into the batter but do not mix it thoroughly. Fold in another 1/4. Add the batter to the remaining whites and fold together until blended. 

Turn into the pan, rotate it briskly to level the batter and bake for 50-55 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean.

After removing it from the oven, turn it upside down on a wire rack to cool completely. After cooling, it is best to freeze the cake before removing it from the pan. After freezing, use a sharp knife to score around the sides of the pan and the center tube. Carefully remove it from the pan. 

Glace au Chocolat

Glace' au Chocolat 

Source: Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 2006 ed.), pg. 223.

Summer is here and what better way to celebrate it than with ice cream. Actually, any time is good for me when it comes to ice cream. I love it and remembered reading in one of Maida's books that it was her favorite dessert as well. 

This is a French ice cream which means that it is made with eggs. It is easy to make and does not require an ice cream freezer. There were several times during the making of this that I thought I had done something wrong but it turned out well. For one thing, she says that after bringing the mixture to a boil, it will become very thick. I didn't notice a thickness at all - in fact, mine was very thin, almost watery. I thought I had perhaps added too much water but after double-checking the recipe, it was correct. You will need to freeze the ice cream for at least 3 or 4 hours before it firms up but after it does, it is very hard and kind of difficult to remove from the pan. 

This is very rich and just a small portion will satisfy any serious chocolate lover. The type of chocolate you use is variable. I used semi-sweet just as it is listed in the recipe.

6 oz. semisweet chocolate
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
3 egg yolks
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup granulated sugar

I used semi-sweet chocolate, chopping it in very small pieces. 

Beat the heavy cream until it holds a shape. I find the whisk attachment is the best for whipping cream. I always chill the bowl and the whisk - it only takes a few minutes.

The egg yolks should be beaten for several minutes until they turn a soft yellow color. 

The sugar and water is boiled for 3 minutes without stirring and then the chocolate is added to the mixture. This is where she says that it turns thick. It didn't thicken for me - it was very thin.

The chocolate mixture is added to the egg yolks gradually and then the whipped cream is added in small increments by folding it in. 

Doesn't it look great?

She recommends freezing it in a loaf pan or ice-cube tray (I thought this was odd at first, then realized she was referring to the old-fashioned types that had the perforated inserts laid in them). Cover it with foil and freeze. I kept testing it and it does not begin to harden until at least 3 hours, more like 4 hours. The next morning is was rock hard and I even had difficulties removing it with a scoop. It is best to let it sit for a while and soften a bit, otherwise it tends to flake off in slivers when you are trying to scoop it out. This is very rich and decadent!

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