Tag Archives: baking

Candy Cap Mushroom Macarons

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Oh my gosh, you guys. I can’t believe my experiment actually worked. I felt like a chemist in my kitchen yesterday afternoon. Sweet, reminiscent memories of high school and college chemistry classes… not. You know every now and then you have that dream or an idea that has never been done before, no reference to go off of (ie. Google has never even heard of it), so you’re a little nervous but do it anyway? That’s what I did here. And probably what most chemists in the past have done. All of those great discoveries came from experimentation so why not try it and see if it works? If you fail, pick yourself back up and try it again. Yeah!

If you’re still having a hard time getting past the mushroom part, let me assure you (if not familiar)–these are unlike any other mushroom you’ve had in your life. They’re a dessert mushroom, sweet and spicy, evoking a maple syrup cinnamon essence that reminds you of a maple glazed donut bar. I have always wanted to work with candy cap mushrooms ever since I tried them in some ice cream at Humphry Slocombe, back when I lived in California. In fact, most if not all of my candy cap desserts were consumed in the city of San Francisco–Pepples vegan donuts made a candy cap mushroom donut some years ago and I was lucky enough to snag one on a leisurely walk through the Ferry Building after I finished my second half marathon. But that’s another story.

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Since I don’t yet have that pear Kitchenaid Mixer and the ice cream attachment I have been pining after for many months, and am not going to make my own homemade candy cap ice cream version anytime soon, I decided I’d experiment with macarons in the meantime. The candy caps have been in the back of my mind as something to buy as soon as I see it available in a store, and luckily I was able to score some at the local Portland farmer’s market a few months ago. For about 12 bucks, I had enough to get me in some trouble.

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Since my last batch of macarons didn’t turn out exactly how I hoped, I did a bit more research to find a fool-proof ratio’d recipe, one that preferably had equal parts almond flour and powdered sugar. For some reason I’ve found those to work the best, and ones that use more than 2 egg whites. The likely problem with the last batch was that 1. the egg whites sat in my fridge for over a week, 2. there weren’t enough of them to whip into a meringue, and 3. the flour ratios were off. Because this time, I put several different recipe forces together and this is what I came up with. The results were exactly what I had hoped for.

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I’m extremely ecstatic with the results. The meringue came together perfectly, my ideas for mixing in the food coloring ratios (yellow + brown) resulted in the exact color I was hoping for that would represent the color of the candy caps well, they baked at the right temperature so they didn’t get too browned on top and baked thoroughly in the center, they got their “footing”, and they smell like heaven! My entire apartment smelled like maple syrup donut bars and cinnamon with cherries on top. Just kidding about the cherries… can you can tell I’m still glowing over these?

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The filling, surprisingly, was almost the hardest thing to figure out on these. I didn’t want it to overpower the candy caps and distract from their flavor, rather to compliment it, but that’s tricky when most buttercreams and fillings are full of more powdered sugar. So it’s a delicate balance. I decided using some of my saved egg yolks (from separating the egg whites for the meringue) mixed with creamed honey and cream cheese. That was the best I could come up with, but I’m going to brain storm for more filling options in the future with these shells. As I was mixing it all together it was still a bit too runny, so I had to add some powdered sugar to soak up the moisture. I stopped at about 1 1/2 cups, before it got too too sweet. It was still a bit runny, so I stuck it in the freezer to set up a bit before putting everything together, and it helped a little bit but I still didn’t want to overfill the shells so that it would be oozing out. I just dabbed a little bit in there so they would stick together. Again, I need to work on the filling thing. Suggestions are welcome!

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For those of you already familiar with candy caps (or not), familiar with baking macarons (or not), may I highly encourage you to give these a try. If this is your first macaron attempt, you will not be disappointed. I have tried so many different macaron methods and techniques and this is by far a keeper. And you will be so stoked and pumped with yourself if you make them with the candy caps too. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

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(Note: if you have never made macarons before and need to get started purchasing the equipment, may I suggest you start here with the following. I have made macarons several times not using my kitchen scale, but I did for these and can tell it makes a huge difference. Therefore parts of the ingredients list is measured in grams. You can use an online weight converter if you wish. For those interested, this is what I use, minus measuring cups and spoons which I assume you may already own. I will add the basic macaron ingredients I use soon, also.)

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Candy Cap Mushroom Macarons

Makes approximately 20-24 regular/medium-sized macarons

For the Macaron:

  • 165 grams ground almond flour (approx. 1 1/2 cups)
  • 165 grams powdered sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons ground dried candy cap mushrooms
  • 4 egg whites, separated and sealed in separate jar 1-4 days prior
  • 150 grams fine or granulated sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
  • brown and yellow food coloring gels (about 5 drops of each)

For the Filling:

  • 2 egg yolks
  • 5 ounces neufchâtel cream cheese
  • 3 Tablespoons creamed honey
  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Making the Macaron:

  1. Prepare two insulated baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
  2. Place a good handful of the dried candy cap mushrooms in a food processor (I eyeballed what might end up as 2 Tablespoons when it was ground up… it’s ok if you have more or slightly less). Grind until the pieces are as fine as possible. Parts of it may be powdery, parts of it might still be dried mushroom, both are ok to put in the macaron mix. Keep the ground candy cap in the food processor. 
  3. Weigh or measure out your almond flour and powdered sugar. Place both in food processor and pulse with the candy caps until they are fine and fully mixed. If you own a sieve, you can sift them but I didn’t and they came out just fine.
  4. Measure out your fine granulated sugar and have ready. Pour the egg whites and lemon juice into a large stainless steel bowl and under medium speed whisk them until they begin to look more white and bubbly (about 30-60 seconds). Reduce the speed to low and gradually start adding the sugar. Once all the sugar is in, increase the speed to medium again and mix until it is glossy and stiff. While they are turning into stiff peaks, I added a bit of the food coloring to get it started and see where I liked it. You can also add it during the next phase while folding the almond flour into the egg whites. It’s up to you.
  5. Gradually add the ground almond/powdered sugar mixture into the egg white bowl and carefully fold the ground almond into the mixture with rubber spatula. Adjust the color here also if you’d like. Keep folding until all of the almond mixture is incorporated and you’ve achieved the color you like. Consistency should be smooth and slightly runny but not too stiff.
  6. With a piping bag already fitted with your tip, spoon the mixture into the bag and evenly pipe mixture out onto your baking sheets. I fit about 20-24 shells on per sheet, counting to about 7 seconds as I piped out each one to help my consistency of sizing. Some may be a bit bigger or smaller than the others, but usually in the end they find their match.
  7. Tap the bottom of each sheet on your work surface to release the air bubbles. Let stand at room temperature for at least 30 minutes, up to 1 hour.
  8. Preheat the oven to 280ºF. Bake the macarons for 15 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through. Check for doneness by looking at the “foot”, it will be slightly browned but not overly so.
  9. Let cool before you put in the filling. Macarons should release easily from the sheet. Pair up with similarly sized and matching shells.

For the Filling:

  1. In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolks for about 10 seconds. Add the cream cheese and creamed honey until combined. Add the powdered sugar in 1/2 cup increments until you reach your desired consistency. It may be a little runny, so I put it in the freezer to help solidify it a bit. Also, I didn’t end up using all of the filling because there was so much of it once I added in all of the powdered sugar, so you can reserve for another use or try halving the recipe if you’re prefer. 
  2. With a small butter knife, slather on a small amount of the filling on one side of the macaron shell pair and gently press together. Voila!

Triple Rum Black Pepper Bundt Cake

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This is the kind of cake that makes me want to be a 50s housewife, put on a vintage apron, listen to Django records while baking in the kitchen and pretend to be Betty Crocker. Or to just become a pirate, Pirates of the Caribbean style. I came pretty close to this scene yesterday as I made this, minus the 50s housewife part. The pirate part is already half-way a reality.

Ok, before we get too far, I know what you’re thinking. Black pepper?! In a cake? Are you NUTS?!? That stuff doesn’t belong in baked goods. That’s not very 50s-housewife-traditional. Hey, you’re not the only skeptical one. I was a little worried about how it would taste, too. But this is 2013 and you have to have the courage to try stuff like this, and I kept reminding myself the rum flavors would more than likely overpower it anyhow. And that’s pretty much the case. It’s just a side kick hint of pepper, that you can hardly taste. There’s only 2 teaspoons of it in the batter anyhow. It compliments the rum splendidly well, I must say. It’s not over the top insanely peppery. I only really taste it after I’ve stopped eating, like a half hour or so later, I notice hints of pepper as an after-taste but it’s very mellow. Trust me. This is a ridiculously deeeelicious cake.

You know the traditional rum bundt cake your grandmother would make for gatherings, your first introduction to alcohol through delicious baked goods? More than likely she used a yellow cake mix with instant pudding and this tastes just like it, minus the unpronounceable ingredient list. It may not be as yellow, but the rum flavor is still there. Like, a lot there. I’m not going to disclose the amount of rum that goes into this cake (although be my guest and add it up when you see the recipe at the bottom of the post), but apparently it’s more than the average traditional rum cake. I’ve always found that when it comes to booze-filled cakes, the more the better. It bakes out anyhow, and I’d rather have a little too much than not taste the flavor come through at all. You know? You know.

I’ll be honest, I didn’t adapt this recipe at all, except for that I baked it less than the original time called for. My oven baked a little warmer than normal, so I pulled it out at around 52 minutes, and honestly should have probably pulled it out around 45. Check it with a toothpick around 45 and see if it’s still gooey or not. Anyway, this recipe is straight from the genius guys of Baked NYC. I own all of their baking books (1, 2, 3) but hardly ever make anything out of them! My goal, starting now, is to change that. All of their recipes are genius, full of all the real baking stuff: butter, eggs, cream, buttermilk, and sugar (and not to mention a bit of booze here and there). This recipe in particular is out of Baked Elements, my personal favorite, as it has sections of several recipes based on their ten favorite ingredients: peanut butter, lemon/lime, caramel, booze (like this one!), pumpkin, malted milk powder, cinnamon, cheese, chocolate, and banana. Um, hello. I love all of those things! Each chapter has a few fun facts about each ingredient, such as what is “rum-running”, found in this chapter: illegally carrying rum ashore or across the border. Yeah, it’s all good stuff. If I could ever make a beautifully designed and photographed thoughtfully planned cookbook like this someday, my life would be complete.

Anyway, you need this triple rum black pepper cake in your life. For reals. And just a little FYI, I used Kraken Black Spiced Rum. It’s amazing. Not only does it have a pretty label, but it tastes phenomenal. I’ve used it for baking more than for drinking, but a splash of it in a White Russian never hurt. Just sayin. Doesn’t this bottle just make you want to want to sail the open seas as a pirate searching for black octopi while drinking dark spiced rum? Cause it sure makes me want to.

Triple Rum Black Pepper Bundt Cake

From Baked Elements: Our 10 Favorite Ingredients

by Matt Lewis & Renato Poliafito

Makes one 10-12 cup Bundt cake

For the Rum Cake:

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
  • 3 large eggs, plus 1 large egg yolk
  • 1 cup well-shaken buttermilk
  • 3/4 cup good-quality dark rum (Kraken)
  • 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

For the Rum Syrup:

  • 1 stick unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup good-quality dark rum (Kraken)

For the Buttered Rum Drizzle:

  • 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
  • 1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted
  • 3 tablespoons good-quality dark rum (Kraken)

Make the Rum Cake:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Generously spray the inside of a 10 or 12-cup bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray (or butter it and dust with flour, knocking out the excess flour).
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, black pepper and salt, and set aside.
  3. In a larger bowl with a stand or hand-mixer, beat the butter and both sugars together on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes. Add the eggs and egg yolk one at a time, beating for 10-15 seconds after each addition until incorporated.
  4. In a 2-cup glass measuring cup (or any other bowl), pour the buttermilk into the cup, add the rum and vanilla, and whisk or stir vigorously until combined.
  5. Add the flour mixture to the mixer bowl in 3 parts, alternating with the buttermilk mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Beat for 10-15 seconds after each addition or until incorporated.
  6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top, and bake for 45-50 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking time, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool for about 30 minutes. Use a small knife or very small offset spatula to loosen the sides of the cake from the pan. Turn the cake out onto the rack and let it cool completely. Wash and dry the bundt pan.

Make the Rum Syrup:

  1. In a medium saucepan with high sides, gently stir together the butter, sugar and 3 tablespoons of water. Turn the heat to medium-high and continue stirring until the sugar dissolves and the butter is melted. Stop stirring, increase the heat to high, and allow the mixture to gently boil for about 3 minutes. Remove the pan from heat, transfer the mixture to a pourable glass measuring cup or bowl, stir vigorously to reduce excess heat, and stir in the rum.
  2. Place the cake back into the bundt pan and with a toothpick or skewery, poke the bottom of the cake several times. Use a spoon to slowly drizzle a bit of the rum syrup over the cake (they note that you don’t have to use it all–you can save a bit for later as it goes great on French toast or ice cream… I saved about 1/3 of it). Let the cake stand bottom side up in the pan for at least 2-3 hours (I only let it sit for 1 1/2 hours), then invert it onto a serving platter and remove the pan.

Make the Buttered Rum Drizzle:

  1. Place the confectioners’ sugar in a small bowl. Pour the butter over the sugar and whisk until combined. Add the rum and keep whisking until glossy and almost pourable. Drizzle the glaze along the crown of the cake, allowing it to drip down the sides. Allow the glaze to set for 10-15 minutes before serving. 

The cake can be stored at room temperature, tightly covered, for up to 3 days.

Thyme & Salted Chocolate Chunk Cookies

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Every chance I can get to incorporate some of my favorite savory herbs into baking recipes, I am ecstatic. Rosemary, sage, and thyme are some of my favorite ingredients ever. So when I found this recipe I couldn’t wait to see what thyme would taste like in some chocolate chip cookies!

Chocolate chunks have easily become my new favorite chocolate baking chip. Their shape holds up well even after baking and being melted, and they tend to stick out a bit more pronounced than regular chips. Here I used a 62% and it went really great in these. Not too dark, not too light and milky.

I’ve always preferred thick, dense and pillowy cookies, but every now and then a thin, flaky and buttery cookie catches my eye and will do the trick. I wasn’t expecting these to turn out so flat like saucers, but regardless, they were absolutely delicious. The thyme wasn’t too much–just an unexpected earthy punch of flavor that pairs super well with the sea salt and chocolate chips. If you’re a lover of thyme as much as I am, then you will definitely love these. Make sure you bake them long enough so they brown around the edges. One half of my batch didn’t get baked thoroughly and the dough fell apart. They don’t set up well if they’re not thoroughly baked. Just a little warning. Enjoy!

Thyme & Salted Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Adapted from Desserts for Breakfast

Makes approximately 14-18 cookies

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon fleur de sel
  • 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
  • 2 sticks unsalted butter, cold and cut into small cubes
  • 1 cup dark brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1 tablespoon molasses
  • 2 eggs
  • 10 oz dark (62%) chocolate chunks
  • sea salt, to sprinkle

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare sheet pans lined with parchment paper.
2. In a bowl, whisk to combine the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking soda, salt, and fresh thyme leaves. Set aside.
3. With a hand mixer, cream the butter for about 2-3 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl as needed.
4. Gradually add the brown sugar, white sugar, and molasses to the butter, beating until light and fluffy.
5. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
6. Mix in the dry ingredients and then fold in the chocolate chunks until well-distributed.
7. Form each cookie using about two tablespoons of dough per cookie. Roll into a ball and place on the prepared pan, pressing down slightly to form a thick disc. Leave room between each cookie–they will spread. Sprinkle a small amount of sea salt on each cookie.
8. Bake for 12 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time, until the edges of the cookies are just turning brown. Remove from the oven and let cool on the pan on a rack for two minutes before removing the cookies from the pan and cooling directly on a rack.

Mint Chocolate Macarons with E+E

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Last Friday afternoon, all of the EYES + EDGE gals had a fun get-together to celebrate our collaborations with one another. Delia and Holly had the brilliant idea to do a little baking demo, have some drinks, and hang out to get to know one another a bit more. Since most of what we do for EYES + EDGE is online-based, through many email and text exchanges, it was nice to meet up in person for a change and have a great time together. Lauren brought ingredients to make blood orange mimosas, and Margaret Jacobsen, the beautiful, sweet and incredibly talented Portland photographer, was kind enough to document the whole process with her creative and artistic eye. Her children are the absolute cutest, also!



With St. Patrick’s Day coming up, of course my mind was onto something green, with mint, perhaps. Since a few people have dietary restrictions, something gluten-free was the best route to take. And what better baking expedition to do a demo on than homemade French macarons? So we made Mint Chocolate macarons, and they were delicious!


I started on my big macaron baking obsession at the beginning of 2012. I purchased this book and went crazy buying all kinds of equipment I thought I needed, obsessing over trial-and-error horror stories on baking blogs, and finally tackled a few recipes of my own. Fortunately, macaron baking, as it turns out, tends to be less complicated than one might think. I’ve found that the more uptight I get about measuring ingredients on a kitchen scale, sifting my almond flour, heating the sugar prior to whisking the egg whites… it just makes it all way more complicated necessary. The best macarons I’ve made that have actually turned out successfully have been the ones I haven’t stressed out too much over, AKA the less steps and the simpler it is, the better (like many other lessons in life, right?).



So if you are a big macaron lover and as fascinated by them as I am, have always wanted to learn how to make them but too intimidated to try, hopefully this little instruction/demonstration will help you a bit to get up the courage to tackle them!



I always like to start out with a few important key points, tips I feel that have helped me the most, things that I’ve learned and found out the hard way. So to make things easier for ya:

  1. Make sure you set out your egg whites (on average, from 3 large eggs) at least 24 hours prior to making your macarons. I like to put mine in a mason jar with a tight lid to make sure it doesn’t get contaminated. Also, I’d like to emphasize that they stay out of the refrigerator (they need to be at room temperature without any extra moisture!). And no, you won’t die from salmonella. Trust me on this.
  2. Whatever color you are making your macarons, dye them with gel food coloring. It’s not the typical stuff you can get at Safeway in the 4-pack, they look more like this. They have less liquid and are a higher concentration of color so a little goes a long way.
  3. Having high-quality, thick insulated cookie sheets = greater results. You don’t want anything thin and dinky (example). No jelly-roll pans, basically. Otherwise your macaron won’t bake through completely and may be still moist in the center.
  4. Just like with the “I Heart Oregon” sugar cookies, you’ll need piping bags and tips. I prefer the larger tips for piping macarons (#10-12, 1A or 2A, depending on the size of the macarons and the control you’d like to have with the tips).
  5. A food processor to process the almond flour and powdered sugar together so the particles are as fine as possible.
  6. Parchment paper.
  7. I love stainless steel mixing bowls as I’ve found I achieve the best results whipping up my egg whites in those, but more than likely enamel or Pyrex should work fine (I just don’t know for sure).


Ok! Let’s get started with a few photos to demonstrate.

What “macaronage” looks like–the joining of the egg whites and almond flour/sugar mixture with food coloring.


Some examples of tip sizes.


Filling up your piping bag. Having help is super helpful at this step but you can do it yourself!


Piping out the macarons. Try to make them the same size, as much as possible. This is an art in itself, I know it isn’t easy! But it gets easier over time, I promise.


What they should look like when you open up the oven! Oven temperatures will vary, so it’s best to experiment with a lower temperature than usual (unless you know your oven runs hotter or cooler). The recommended temperature was 375 degrees F, but we brought it down to 350 degrees, baked for about 8 minutes and these turned out perfect, with a shell, foot and all! And they didn’t stick to the parchment.


There are a zillion different fillings you can pipe between your macarons, but for this we went with a mint chocolate ganache. It was super easy to make! Just put ½ cup of chocolate chips in a heat-proof glass (such as a Pyrex measuring cup), and pour ⅔ cups heated cream (almost to a boil) on top, let sit for a few seconds, stir, and add 2 tablespoons butter (slightly softened). And of course about 2 teaspoons of peppermint extract.


Put this in the freezer to harden up a bit (about 30-40 minutes) as it makes it easier to spoon onto the cookies.


A few are a bit burned on the bottom, but that’s ok! They’re still soft and delicious on the inside. It also makes it a bit easier to match similar sized cookies together (once they’ve cooled) so filling them with ganache is a cinch!


Viola! All done. The only photo I wish I could have demonstrated is what “stiff peaks” looks like if you’ve never tried to achieve those with egg whites and granulated sugar before, but it took us about 10 minutes or so with a hand-held mixer to achieve the consistency we needed. You have to whip the egg whites for awhile to get all the air and moisture out. If in doubt, Google it, or refer to the “I Heart Oregon” cookies, although those are soft peaks. You’ll want something that holds up a bit more “stiff” looking than those.

Here’s a peek at the finishing product:
They turned out so well! Honestly I was a bit nervous as the cold, damp weather of Portland might have affected the egg whites and outcome, but it was a beautiful sunny day and I think it was the good vibes of the entire group that made them all happen and turn out as beautifully as they did! And yes, they were absolutely delicious!

They’re kid approved, too!

 

Mint Chocolate Macarons

Makes approximately 12-18 macarons, depending on the size you make them

Ingredients:

  • ⅔ cup almond flour
  • 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
  • 3 large egg whites at room temperature, left out overnight
  • 5 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons peppermint extract
  • green gel food coloring
  • ½ cup semi-dark chocolate chips
  • ⅔ cup heavy cream
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons peppermint extract


Instructions:

  1. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
  2. Process the almond flour and powdered sugar in a food processor to ensure the powders are very fine and no lumps remain. Set aside.
  3. In a medium bowl, begin to beat the eggs. When the egg whites start to foam, add 1 tablespoon of the granulated sugar at a time (5 total). Beat until you achieve “stiff peaks”, about 5-10 minutes (not liquidy).
  4. Add the almond mixture to the egg whites and begin to fold with a spatula. Add in the peppermint extract and food coloring. Once the flour mixture is completely incorporated, you have begun the “macaronage”. Using your spatula, continue to fold, smearing the batter against the bowl.
  5. Using a piping bag with a round tip, pipe out the batter onto the baking sheets. Pipe straight down, flood the area, then pull up quickly. Try to make them uniform, but don’t worry too much about it. In the end, they will find their equal match.
  6. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (may be 25 degrees higher or lower depending on how your oven runs) but in the meantime let the macarons sit for at least 15-30 minutes to settle and let the air bubbles dissipate.
  7. Bake the macarons for about 8-9 minutes. The foot appeared at minute 8, but then we let the oven still cook with the door open for about 2 and then pulled them out. You don’t want them to be too brown, just enough so that they are firm and have a “foot”.
  8. Let the macarons cool for several minutes. They should release easily.


To make the ganache:

  1. Pour your chocolate chips into a heat-proof measuring cup. Set aside.
  2. Heat your cream over medium heat, until a slight boil begins (about 3-5 minutes).
  3. Pour the cream on top of the chocolate, let sit for a minute, then add the butter and extract. Stir until completely smooth.
  4. The ganache may be a bit runny so place in the freezer for about ½ hour to achieve spreading consistency.
  5. Match like-sized cookies and fill with approximately 1-2 teaspoons of ganache.
  6. For the filling to set, place the macarons back on the baking sheet into the freezer to solidify for several minutes (at least 15-20). That’s it! You’re done! High five! As always, let me know if you have any questions!

Photos by Margaret Jacobsen & Kylie Antolini

Old-Fashioned St. Germain and Lemon Bundt Cake

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oldfashioned2As you may know, I’ve been on a bundt cake baking kick lately. Between that last cake and this new cake, there’s one in between the two that I’m putting on hold. Because this particular bundt cake is way more important and a million times more amazing. I have been so excited to share this recipe with you, I couldn’t stand it another minute.

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This week, in total, I’ve made 3 bundt cakes. I’ve been having a crazy good time making them and loving every second. There’s just something about them that is so elegant and sophisticated and I’m drawn to the science of baking them. Because honestly, they aren’t like “normal cakes”. I’ve had enough flops so far that I’ve come to realize they’re not as easy to bake as they seem. Temperamental, if you will.

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So when I dreamt up this bundt cake with St. Germain, I was a bit anxious as to how it would turn out. With the best intentions, as always, I wanted to do it right on the first try if I could. I’d gone through enough cartons of eggs and slabs of unsalted butter in one week to make me want to invest in a farm full of chickens and cows.

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I absolutely adore St. Germain. It is, by far, my favorite liqueur on the planet (see past cocktail recipe here). It’s sweet, French, and floral with elements of grapefruit, peaches and pear. I’d pour and mix it into everything I eat and drink if I could afford it. So when I went on a hunt to see if there were any pre-existing St. Germain recipes involving baked goods, I was shocked by the deficiency. There are a few recipes involving macarons, but as a whole, SOL. So I’m here to change that, because the world needs a St. Germain bundt cake.

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I adapted this recipe to a classic Old-Fashioned Lemon Glazed bundt cake recipe because it seemed to be a common theme that there have been many successes with the “traditional” 1-2-3-4 cake (1 cup butter, 2 cups sugar, 3 cups flour, and 4 eggs). I didn’t want to deviate too much to a solid, moist, and flavorful texture. I added 3/4ths of a cup of St. Germain to the actual cake, 1/2 cup to the glaze, made my own “buttermilk”, and I wouldn’t change a thing. This turned out beautifully. I was shocked, actually. The hint of floral notes paired phenomenally well with the lemon zest and juice, I really couldn’t imagine another “plain” lemon cake without it again. They’re the perfect pair and compliment each other so well.

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The second I could pierce my fork through the first slice, still slightly warm from the oven, and took the first bite, the first words out of my mouth were “Holy macaroli, I really hit the nail on the head with this one”. Needless to say, I am beyond pleased. And if you could have seen me hopping around the kitchen in joy, contentment and pleasure from what I had just experienced, you would be just as convinced.

I urge you all, now, at this exact moment, to go out and buy a bottle of St. Germain and make this lovely cake. I think it’s safe to say that this is and will be the best thing I’ve baked all year (and it’s only March!). 

 

Old-Fashioned St. Germain and Lemon Bundt Cake

Makes approximately 12 slices

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup vanilla soy milk (or any other milk available)
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened at room temperature
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 4 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup St. Germain liqueur
  • grated zest of 2 lemons, finely chopped
  • juice of 1/2 lemon 
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter
  • 2 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
  • 1/2 cup St. Germain liqueur
  • grated zest of 1/2 lemon, finely chopped
  • juice of 1/2 lemon 

Directions:

  1. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a 10-inch bundt pan with oil or coat with butter.
  2. Pour your milk into a small bowl, add the apple cider vinegar, and slightly whisk together with a fork. Set aside to curdle for several minutes. (You will add the St. Germain to this liquid mixture toward the end.)
  3. Cream the butter and sugar together in a large bowl with an electric mixer until fluffy and pale (1-2 minutes).
  4. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
  5. Mix in the St. Germain to the milk and vinegar mixture.
  6. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture in 3 separate additions, alternating between the liqueur/milk mixture in 2 additions, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Fold the batter until it looks well blended; don’t overmix. Fold in the lemon zest and juice. 
  7. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, smooth out the top with a spatula. Bake the cake for 50-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, and the sides of the cake have begun to pull away from the pan. 
  8. Transfer the cake in the pan to a wire rack to let cool for at least 10 minutes. Now prepare the glaze.
  9. For the glaze, heat the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until melted. Add in the sifted confectioners sugar, St. Germain, lemon zest and juice until a pourable glazey consistency is reached. Set aside for 5-10 minutes to thicken. (You may add additional sugar, Germain, zest or juice to taste if you prefer but that’s entirely up to you if you’re willing to experiment! Either way, you won’t go wrong.)
  10. Invert cake onto your serving platter or cake stand and spoon the warm glaze over the cake. Although it tastes best the day it is made, it will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-5 days. Enjoy!
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