Blood Orange Poppy Seed Loaf
Posted: April 29, 2018 Filed under: Citrus (28), Quick Breads (16) | Tags: Blood Orange Glaze, Blood Orange Loaf, Blood Orange Poppy Seed Loaf 1 Comment
Lets face it-there are certain fruits or foods which given their name do not exactly evoke a tasty image. Case in point, the blood orange. I mean….how could one get excited over something with the word blood in it if you’re going to be shoving it in your mouth? Well, these little beauties lend the most amazing ruby red color when juiced. You’ll find them used in everything from cocktail recipes to baking. Mix the juice with a little confectioners sugar and you have the most beautiful AND flavorful princess pink icing.
It’s always a surprise when you slice one in half to find how deep in color your prized beauty really is. When picking one out you want to find one that has a good patch of crimson red mixed with deep orange.
Blood Orange Poppy Seed Loaf
1 1/2 C all purpose flour
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 Cup unsalted butter, room temp
1 1/4 Cups sugar
2 large eggs, room temp
1 tsp. vanilla
zest of 2 large blood oranges
2 Tbsp. blood orange juice
1/3 Cup milk
1 tsp. white vinegar
2-4 Tbsp. poppy seeds
Combine milk with vinegar and set aside for about 10-15 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Prepare a standard loaf pan with non stick baking spray and line with parchment paper so the ends are extended over the long side of the pan. Leave at least 2 inches of overhang.
In a stand mixer with paddle attachment, cream the butter with the sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time and mix until combined. Add the vanilla and combine. Zest the oranges over the mixer bowl and also add the blood orange juice. With mixer on stir setting, stir to combine. Whisk the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl. Add in half the flour mixture and beat gently to combine. Add in milk mixture with mixer running on slow speed and mix gently to combine. Add in last half of flour mixture and beat gently to combine. Stir in the poppy seeds (Note* this is a matter of preference on how much poppy seeds you like-I add in only 2 Tbsp. but you can much more to your liking).
Pour the batter into the pan and smooth out the top. Bake in preheated oven for about 55 minutes to an hour or until a wooden skewer inserted shows a few moist crumbs.
Make the Blood Orange Syrup by placing ingredients into a liquid glass measuring cup and microwaving until mixture comes to a boil.
Let the cake cool for 30 minutes then gently pour the Blood Orange Syrup over the cake until cake absorbs all of syrup. Let cake cool completely, then apply glaze with a large spoon until top of cake is covered.
For glaze– in a medium bowl place sifted confectioners sugar and blood orange juice and whisk to combine.
Blood Orange Syrup
1/2 Cup water
2 1/2 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. blood orange juice
Glaze
1 1/2 Cup confectioners sugar, sifted
3-4 Tbsp. fresh blood orange juice
Blackberry Lavender and Lemon Pound Cake
Posted: May 28, 2017 Filed under: Quick Breads (16), Raspberry/Blackberry (25) | Tags: 9x5 Pound Cake Recipe, Blackberry Lavender Lemon Pound Cake, Blackberry Pound Cake, Cooking with Flowers by Miche Bacher, Lemon Glaze for Pound Cake Leave a comment
Are you as happy as I am that blackberries are in season? I’m seeing them left and right on sale now in the markets and it’s making me oh so happy. My latest greatest find was 3 for a dollar, so I had to strike! Brought these beauties home and made this scrumptious pound cake. It is super duper moist. That’s right- I said super duper. The lemon glaze that adorns the top takes it to the next level. The recipe calls for quite a bit of lavender- but don’t be scared, the flavor does not overpower the cake at all-just make sure you are buying culinary dried lavender. It can be a bit hard to find, but higher end stores like Whole Foods carries it in their spice aisle. The original recipe comes from Miche Bacher from her cookbook “Cooking with Flowers” which now that I took a sneak peak on Amazon, I might have to purchase the book! The recipe is posted on fancy flours website.
Blackberry Lavender & Lemon Pound Cake
recipe: from fancyflours.com (reprinted from original recipe by Miche Bacher) from cookbook “Cooking with Flowers”
2 Tbsp. dried (culinary) lavender buds
3/4 Cup buttermilk (or 3/4 Cup milk + scant Tbsp. lemon juice-see notes in step one).
2 1/2 Cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
zest of one lemon
1 pint blackberries (2 small 6 oz. containers)
1 Cup unsalted butter, softened
2 Cups sugar
4 eggs + 2 egg yolks
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1. Stir lavender buds into the buttermilk and let steep for 30-45 minutes, or if you don’t have buttermilk stir the buds into 3/4 cup of milk and 10 minutes before preparing the batter stir in a scant tablespoon of lemon juice.
2. Preheat oven to 325° F. Prepare a loaf pan (9x5x3) with nonstick baking spray and line with a parchment sling, leaving parchment so it hangs over the long sides of the pan with at least 3 inches, then spray again. In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest. Gently stir in the (washed & dried) blackberries.
3. Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and yolks one at a time on medium speed until incorporated. Note: the mixture may appear curdled, but don’t worry-it will come together once you add the dry ingredients. Stir in the lemon juice.
4. Gently fold in BY HAND (not with an electric mixer), one third of the flour/berry mixture, then add in 1/2 of the milk/lavender mixture, adding in another third of flour mixture, then the last half of milk mixture, ending with last 1/3 of flour mixture. Gently pour the batter into the pan (Note: only fill the pan 3/4 of the way full- you may have some batter left over), and bake for ~ 40 minutes or a wooden skewer when inserted comes out with a few moist crumbs. Let cake cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then remove using the parchment sling. Allow the cake to cook completely on a wire rack, then glaze with lemon glaze.
Lemon Glaze
2 Cups confectioners sugar
3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
In a small bowl whisk together sugar and juice until glaze is smooth and free of any lumps.
Pumpkin & Spice Glazed Scones
Posted: October 10, 2015 Filed under: Breakfast (35), Pumpkin (8), Quick Breads (16), Scones (10) | Tags: Glazed Pumpkin Scones, How to make a tall scone, Moist Pumpkin Scones, Pumpkin & Spice Scones, Pumpkin Scones Leave a comment
Pumpkin season is here! Have you been to Trader Joe’s?! If you have, then you know what I’m talking about- they take it to a whole other level, it’s a PUMPKINpalooza. Crazy. I left there in awe of all the pumpkin things they offer- it got me inspired to make a good pumpkin scone. It had to be moist, it had to have the right amount of spice, and it had to have a great glaze. I did three variations of the recipe before I came up with the right mixture of spice. FYI, pumpkin spice mix you buy in the store did not do it. Trust me on this. Pumpkin needs a lot of spice in order to let it sing. See below also for my tips on getting moist, tall scones.
Don’t you just love Fall? A good cup of hot cider, a great scone, the Sunday paper. What more does a girl need?
Pumpkin Spice Glazed Scones
yield: 8 scones
2 Cups All Purpose Flour
1/2 Cup sugar
1 Tbsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. mace (seek this out- it makes all the difference!)
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 stick (1/2 C) cold cubed unsalted butter
1/2 Cup canned pumpkin puree
1 lg. egg
1 tsp. vanilla
3 Tbsp. heavy cream
[Tips for making great scones:]
- Cut the butter first into small cubes, and set back in the fridge for 10-15 minutes to keep cold while you measure out the rest of the ingredients.
- Using a food processor helps to avoid overworking the dough AND keeping the butter cold while mixing.
- Do NOT overwork the dough. Overworking/overmixing the dough results in a drier less moist scone.
- Chill the formed scones to help retain their shape when baking (results in a taller scone).
- Always use an oven thermometer to make sure the oven is calibrated to the exact temp called for in the recipe.
- Place the rack in the mid high portion of the oven rather than the lower portion (prevents bottoms getting too brown)
Scones:
In a food processor place the flour, sugar, baking powder, spices and salt. Pulse 4-5 times to combine well. Add the cubed cold butter and pulse until mixture resembles a coarse meal with the butter resembling size of peas.
Dump the flour/butter mixture into a large bowl and form a well in the center. In a glass measuring cup whisk together the puree, egg, vanilla, and cream. Add puree mix to the flour mixture and with a rubber spatula fold in the dry ingredients until combined. DO NOT OVERMIX! Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board and pat into a 7 inch circle. Cut like a pie into 8 equal wedges and place scones on prepared baking sheet, leaving at least 2 inches space between scones. Chill the scones in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 425° F and prepare a sheet pan with either parchment paper or a Silpat liner.
Bake the chilled scones at 425° F for 15-16 minutes. Avoid overbaking to ensure a moist scone.
Let the scones cool before glazing.
To glaze: Prepare the classic glaze and dip the top of each scone into the glaze (some will run down the sides) and set on a wire rack over a piece of parchment. Once set- mix the spiced glaze and drizzle over each scone. FYI: I think they taste better a bit warm, so I nuke mine in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds.
Classic Glaze:
3/4 Cup confectioners sugar + more if needed
2 1/2 Tbsp. milk
In a small bowl whisk together the glaze until smooth. Add a Tbsp. or more confectioners sugar as needed if glaze not thick enough. You don’t want it too thin.
Spiced Drizzle Glaze:
Once the scones are dipped in the classic glaze, use the leftover Classic Glaze in the same bowl and whisk in these spices: 1/4 tsp. cinnamon, 1/8 tsp. nutmeg, pinch of ginger, pinch of cloves.
Note: to turn the glaze a more pumpkin color- I add a bit of chocolate brown gel paste food coloring along with electric yellow gel paste to achieve the perfect pumpkin color; using a toothpick of each at a time until desired color. Wait until the classic glaze is set until you drizzle the spice glaze over.
Copycat Starbucks Gingerbread Loaf
Posted: October 20, 2014 Filed under: Quick Breads (16) | Tags: Gingerbread, Starbucks Copycat Gingerbread Loaf 2 CommentsA few years ago I used to work around the corner from a Starbucks. Yes, seriously right around the corner. It was a dangerous thing- and yes, I became a little addicted to gingerbread loaf. Okay, a lot addicted. That was in the past and I’ve moved on. Sort of. Okay-I’m still craving that darn bread, but I decided to make my own and it’s pretty smack close. Matter of fact, I don’t think they sell it anymore-but don’t quote me. The bread- I’m satisfied with it. Really satisfied-so much so that I now need to get it out of my house and give some away to friends. Tis the season to get your gingerbread on.
Copycat Starbucks Gingerbread Loaf
1/2 Cup melted unsalted butter
1/4 Cup vegetable oil
1/2 Cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 Cup sugar
1 large egg
finely grated zest of one tangerine “cutie” (or 1 tsp. orange zest)
1 Cup vanilla Greek yogurt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 Cup all purpose flour
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. ground mace
Cream Cheese Icing: recipe below
Candied orange peel
1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Prepare a 9×5 inch loaf pan by spraying with baking spray and lining with a parchment paper to cover bottom and long sides of loaf pan with at least a 2 inch overhang. Spray lightly one more time all sides and bottom of loaf pan.
2. In a stand mixer using the paddle attachment combine the melted butter, oil, and sugars. Add in the egg and mix for one minute at medium speed. Combine the yogurt and baking soda well in a small bowl. In a separate bowl whisk the flour and next 5 ingredients. Add the yogurt mixture to the mixer bowl and beat well for about 2 minutes; making sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of bowl. Add the flour mixture and mix until combined. Spread the batter into prepared loaf pan and bake at 350° F for about 45-50 minutes until a wooden skewer comes out clean. Allow gingerbread to cool in pan over a wire rack. Frost with cream cheese icing and sprinkle with finely diced candied orange peel.
Cream Cheese Icing:
4 oz. cream cheese, room temp
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, room temp
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 Cups confectioners sugar
Combine the first three ingredients until smooth. Slowly add in the confectioners sugar and beat until smooth.
Cinnamon Swirl Scones
Posted: September 28, 2014 Filed under: Breakfast (35), Quick Breads (16), Scones (10) | Tags: Cinnamon Roll Scones, Cinnamon Scones, Cinnamon Swirl Scones 2 CommentsIf a cinnamon roll and a scone had a baby it would be a cinnamon swirl scone, yes? I know-stay with me (yes-it’s absurd-but just go with it). It’s what you make when your kid, husband or clan wants a cinnamon roll but you don’t want to futz with all the work of making rolls and quite frankly you don’t have the time…and DON’T you DARE whack a can of store bought something or other on the side of the counter. No, just no.
Cinnamon Swirl Scones
yield: one dozen scones
Cinnamon filling:
1/2 Cup light brown sugar
1 Tbsp. Saigon cinnamon
3/4 tsp. vanilla powder
1/8 tsp. mace
6 Tbsp. softened unsalted butter
In a small bowl with a silicone spatula mash together all the filling ingredients until well combined, set aside.
Scone dough:
2 2/3 Cup self-rising flour
3 Tbsp. granulated sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla powder
6 Tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes; kept cold
3/4 Cup cold buttermilk (or if you don’t have buttermilk mix together 3/4 Cup milk with 1/2 tsp. fresh lemon juice or 1/2 tsp. white vinegar and let sit for 10 minutes)
Egg wash:
1 large egg
2 tsp. milk
1. With a fork whisk together the egg and milk and set aside.
Make Dough:
1. In a stand mixer bowl place the dry ingredients and using a hand whisk or fork- mix well. Add the cubed cold butter and blend by hand with a pastry blender until mixture has pieces of butter the size of peas.
2. With the paddle attachment and mixer on low; pour in the buttermilk and mix until mixture just comes together. Remove dough and turn out onto floured surface, fold and knead together gently about 6 times until dough is no longer sticky. Pat and shape the dough gently into a rectangle and with a rolling pin, finish rolling dough into a 12×9 inch rectangle. If you don’t have a ruler- use a 1/4 sheet pan as a rough guide for size. Make sure you have ample flour underneath the dough so when you go to roll up the dough it does not stick to the counter. Lift up all 4 edges of dough and place any extra flour to ensure it is not sticking.
3. Smear the cinnamon filling onto the dough and leave about 1/2 inch space at both edges of long sides, and about 1/4 inch of space on borders of short sides. Take the long side of the rectangle that is furthest away from you and gently roll towards you taking about 1/2 inch at a time, rolling into a log as tight as you can. Once the log is completely rolled together- pinch the dough seam with your first two fingers to ensure it is sealed as tight as possible. With a bench scraper, cut log into 12 equal pieces. Place cut side of scones onto prepared pans- (6 scones onto each pan), reshaping into circles gently as needed and place at least 2 inches apart.
4. Preheat the oven to 450° F. Place pans in refrigerator to chill for 20 minutes. After chilling, brush top and sides of scones with egg wash; checking again to make sure the seams on each roll are sealed. Bake in preheated 450° F oven for 14-15 minutes until light golden brown. Note: some of the filling may ooze and seep out (don’t worry-it happens even if you are careful). Let scones cool on sheet pan placed over wire rack until almost completely cooled, then drizzle with icing per recipe below.
Icing:
1 Cup + 3 Tbsp. confectioners sugar
2 Tbsp. milk
In a small bowl whisk together sugar and milk until smooth. Add additional sugar if needed to adjust consistency. You want a thickness that when pulling a table knife through the mixture; the icing does not hold the line of the knife.
