I love this bowl.

feel free to check out my (in progress) pottery website: www.foxpottery.com

Hummingbird Cake

I have only just learned what Hummingbird Cake is- from an unearthly experience at Bollweevil's Cafe here in Augusta. Go there. Eat Cake.

Think of a Carrot Cake with cream cheese icing, and then take out the carrots, replacing them with crushed pineapple, pecans, cinnamon and ripe banana. I wasn't enthralled with the idea at first, but let me tell you, one taste will release you from any hesitance you may be feeling right now.

I made a cake for the restaurant, and cupcakes for me. I sadly did not capture the finished cake, but if there's anything left next time I go in, I'll snap a shot.

I used this recipe, but I added more pineapple, less banana and less oil. I left out the nutmeg cause I couldn't find mine in the cabinet! I really need a spice rack.

Hummingbird Cake

Cake:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
  
• 2 cups granulated sugar
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
  
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
  
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  
• 3 eggs, beaten
  
• 1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
  
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  
• 4 oz crushed pineapple, well drained
  
• 1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
  
• 2 cups very ripe bananas
  

Frosting:

• 16 ounces cream cheese, softened
  
• 1 cup butter, room temperature
  
• 2 pounds confectioners sugar (I know, I know)
  
• Extra nuts for garnish (if desired)
  

For the Cake: Preheat oven to 350°. Sift flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and cinnamon together into mixing bowl several times. Add eggs and salad oil to the dry ingredients. Stir with a wooden spoon until ingredients are moistened. Stir in vanilla, pineapple and the pecans (saving a few to garnish the top of the cake). Stir in the bananas. Spoon the batter into 3 well-greased and floured 9-inch round cake pans. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes,or until a wooden pick or cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn onto cooling rack. Cool completely before frosting.

For the Frosting: Combine cream cheese and butter; cream until smooth. Add powdered sugar a little at a time (you might not need all of it--it's always easier to add more than to remove it!), beating with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Stir in vanilla.

Frost the tops of all 3 layers, stack and then frost sides. Sprinkle top with leftover pecans (or you might want to add more if you like a crunchier cake-top).

UPDATE: I now make the following changes for perfect hummingbird cake:

1 cup of oil instead of 1 1/4.

8 oz pineapple instead of 4 oz.

and for the cream cheese frosting, if you like yours tangier than sweeter, try 3 8-oz packages of cream cheese, 2 sticks butter, and one pound of powdered sugar rather than the amounts listed above.

I used food coloring in the icing, and not as much confectioner's sugar. Just add it slowly and stop when you're satisfied. I experimented with different icing tips and techniques. I'd like a bigger round tip, but I can't find one anywhere around here.

I like to pretend that these cupcakes are really healthy.

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes!!!

These are my favorite cupcakes so far. Chocolate Stout Cupcakes, Whiskey Chocolate Filling, and Bailey's Irish Cream Frosting. SpecTACular.

I've wanted to make these for awhile, and I actually found a recipe for the exact thing I wanted, on Smitten Kitchen. (Which almost disappointed me, I sort of wanted to try my hand at creating the thing out of the air.) I think next time I will adjust it- maybe try a whiskey glaze instead of filling- although filling in cupcakes is like, the most heavenly surprise.

link to recipe

This recipe is excellent- the cakes domed perfectly, chocolately and moist.

I used the cap of the bailey's bottle to dig little circles out of the tops of the cupcakes, then a knife to dig out a little more. I used a measuring spoon to drop the ganache in each hole, then recovered with the little cake cap I'd removed. I've read you can also use a knife and cut a cone-shape out of the top, fill up, and replace. I liked my method, though next time I might try to make the holes wider.

I couldn't really taste the whiskey in the chocolate filling. Next time I'd add more (I added 2 T) or try a whiskey glaze.

The icing is my favorite part- I love Bailey's. We made mint Bailey's cupcakes for my bachelorette party. I wonder if it would go well with a cream cheese frosting? Is there a difference between icing and frosting? What exactly is blogging etiquette about posting recipes? As long as I give credit is it ok? Why doesn't Eric like cake? How many pounds have I gained since starting this blog? These questions and more I wonder while baking...

MAKE THESE CUPCAKES. YOUR LIFE WILL BE COMPLETE. (and if it's not, send em on over to me.)

We have lots of guinness left over now, and Eric and I tried Irish Car Bombs on saturday night, but it was sort of a waste because we went to bed immediately afterwards. Party people, thats us.

Dark Chocolate Pear Cake

This cake was fairly simple to make, with truly delightful results! I made two- one that we could try to make sure it was good, and when it was, one for the restaurant.

I followed this recipe from Smitten Kitchen again..

http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/01/bittersweet-chocolate-and-pear-cake/

pouring the batter into the springform pan

Sprinkling the top with pears and chocolate

The cake rises up over the fruit and chocolate, moist and sweet.

I really need a sugar duster.

It's best served warm. Whipped cream or ice cream complete the look.

BBA Ciabatta Bread

This is good bread.

BUT-

This bread broke my mixer.

At least, it makes a funny noise now, and it won't blend anything thick. I certainly hope that when I sent in to receive the rebate, I was also registering for the warranty.

I sound calm, but I am devastated.

Anyway, I made the Cibatta bread from the Bread Baker's Apprentice book, and I am pleased with the flavor and it rose the way it was supposed to.

I baked the first loaf directly on the stone on the lowest rack in the oven, and I would not recommend that as it burned the bottom of the loaf. The second loaf, I baked it on a sheet on the stone in the middle of the oven and it turned out nicely.

This recipe involved several risings and folding the dough "letter style" between risings.

Golden brown loaves...I always forget to slash my loaves.

stupid mixer.

The cupcakes that weren't.

I have this amazing Roald Dahl Cookbook, written by his wife after he died. It's recipes are all lovingly illustrated by Quentin Blake, and are fun to look at, even if they don't sound very good. (Snozzcumbers? Mosquito Toes? Not good in the original books, not good in real life.)

HOWEVER, there IS a recipe for Boris Bogtrotter's Chocolate Cake from the book Matilda. In the story, Bruce gets caught sneaking a piece of cake belonging to the terrifying headmistress Miss Trunchbull, who is best known for shot-putting kids by their hair. His punishment? Eat an entire chocolate cake in front of the school assembly- and not just any cake- a 2 ft diameter, dense, seductive chocolate cake. Good for Bruce, he ate it all.

I made the cake once in college, and I remember it being lovely, though now that I think about it, not very stable.

And for some reason, I decided I would use this recipe as cupcakes and then fill them with different fillings- aztec gold ganache, caramel and peanut butter cream.

I also decided I'd add a bit of baking soda to give it some rising power.

Oh, and then I decided to overfill the cupcake papers.

So this is what I got:

SUPERBLY delicious, but not cupcake-like at all. Eric sat down and ate 4 and was heading for a 5th before I pointed out (kindly, I might add) that just because they are sunken doesn't mean there isn't just as much cupcake batter in each one.

I'd say this cake is worth a shot, though maybe not the way I made it.

Here is the original recipe:

8 oz good quality semisweet chocolate

1.5 sticks unsalted butter, softened

1 c plus 2 T sugar

1/4 c all purpose flour

6 eggs, separated, yolks slightly beaten

Icing:

8oz quality chocolate

8 oz heavy cream

Overn: 350F.

Line a 8.5 in round cake pan with wax paper and butter bottom and sides of the paper. (I would totally disregard this if I was making this cake. Well, maybe I would line the bottom. I hate extra steps like this.)

Melt chocolate in a double boiler, or a Pyrex bowl set in a saucepan of simmering water. Mix in butter and stir til melted.

Transfer to a large bowl and add sugar, flour, and lightly beaten egg yolks.

Whisk egg whites til stiff. Fold half the whites into mixture, blend thoroughly, then mix in the other half. (maybe someone can explain to me why it is necessary to go through the half-stop-half thing. I'd really like to know.)

Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake for about 35 min. There will be a thin crust on top of the cake, and may appear undercooked. It will get firmed as it cools.

While the cake is cooling, prepare ganache. Melt chocolate into cream over low heat. Stir til blended, cool slightly.

When cake is cool, flip upside down if it is sinking in the middle and spread chocolate ganache all over cake.

It's good with strawberries and raspberries too!

Making ganache:

Blueberry Jam

After making 200 jars of jam for wedding favors this summer, I would say without hesitation that I know me some blueberry jam. I know it intimately in all it's stages; from freshly mashed berries, to the thickly bubbling mess turned dark purple by gobs of sugar, to the pleasant ping pinging pops made by the lids sealing themselves.

Maybe it's the superb Windrush Farm organic blueberries I'm using, but the recipe in the pectin box does just fine for my jam needs. We did try blueberry lime jam for the first couple batches this summer, but it didn't set well, and we found the flavor of plain ol' blueberry was not improved by the lime. (odd, I am usually in favor of the addition of lime to anything.)

Especially for jams, I found you don't need fancy canners or even racks. You need a large pot in which to boil the jars and lids, and you need some tongs to grab them with. It's important to jar the jam while everything's hot- jam, jars and lids- so that the jar will seal itself as it cools. With two part lids, you don't need to boil the outside ring- that part can be room temperature. It's also important to wipe the rim of the glass jar clean before screwing on the lid, to avoid bacteria and get a solid seal. Jam funnels are indispensable in this endeavor. It can help to have two people- one to tong and pour, one to wipe and screw. Right.

It's not as big of an ordeal as you might think. A batch takes an hour to make at most. Give homemade jam a shot next time you find fruit on sale or go a little ape in the berry patch.

Eric and I went picking in Blacksburg a couple weekends ago and I turned the berries into 4 more batches. I think we'll be set for awhile.