Lefse Latke Nuggets

I stepped out of my cookie and cake comfort zone to try a recipe for something that, to be honest, is not my favorite. The Minnesota in me kept repeating, "you're a baker, you're from Minnesota, you should know how to make lefse" but the pragmatic voice in my head kept saying, "you think lefse is bland and flimsy and didn't even try it for the first time until you were 23 so the Minnesota in you shouldn't be concerned."

Before you Scandinavians shout, BLASPHEMY, I do find lefse good for one thing: getting butter and cinnamon sugar into my mouth. 

In light of all of this, I went for it...and invited a true Scandinavian to my house to help. She was useless. Not entirely. She did bake delicious soft pretzels while the lefse cooked but she was of no help when it came to turning the lefse dough into actual lefse.

Even with the perfect tools, ingredients, and company, I failed. So I did what I felt was best: stopped trying.  But what was I to do with the leftover dough? Then it came to me: latke-fy it (it is Chanukah, remember?). Add some salt, some onions, and fry it in a healthy dose of oil.

Ta-dah! Lefse latke nuggets.

If you are up for the challenge, give the recipe a try. Perhaps I needed more patience or different potatoes but I'd love to see some successful results.

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Lefse
from Jul

Make the lefse: add melted butter to cold potatoes and stir until just combined. Add milk, sugar, salt, and stir until rough dough forms. Chill two hours or overnight.

Mix in flour. Form walnut-sized balls, keeping dough chilled during process: dough will rise when it warms. Use a rolling pin fitted with a sleeve to roll into thin rounds.

Use a long flat stick to transfer lefse to hot griddle. Cook until round begins to bubble up. Carefully fold edge of lefse to check for golden brown spots. Run the stick beneath the lefse and carefully flip the round, cooking in an additional minute or until the bottom side has light brown spots.

1/4 cup vegan butter, melted
4 cups riced potatoes, chilled
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

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This post was done in partnership with Nordic Ware who sponsored this recipe by providing the griddle that was used in this recipe. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Express Chocolate Espresso Bundt

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I love to bake from scratch. I love to decorate a cake with flowers and sprinkles. But I also love to eat cake right now/five minutes ago. This is not a new realization but what is new is my decision to [gasp] use boxed cake mixes every once in a while. 

My new non-judgey feelings toward cake mixes led me to this recipe: Express Chocolate Espresso Bundt. The recipe drew me in with "express" (because I want cake now), started to get interesting at "chocolate" (because chocolate). The recipe got real at "espresso" (because caffeine holds a special place in my heart) and then the ingredients were already measured and on the counter by the time I read the word "Bundt" (beautiful cake that requires zero decoration).

Add these things together, bake for less than an hour and voila, instantly beautiful cake that can be eaten immediately.

And if you are trying to figure out what to do while the cake is baking, whip up a batch of salted caramel sauce and dip the pieces of the cake directly into the warm caramel. Just a thought...

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Express Espresso Chocolate Bundt
from Bundt Cake Bliss

1 box devil's food cake mix (15.25 oz)
1 small box instant chocolate pudding mix
4 eggs
1/2 cups strongly brewed coffee
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2 tsp instant espresso powder

Make the cake: Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare a 10-12 cup Bundt pan using butter or Pam baking spray. 

Place the cake mix and pudding mix in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix for 30 seconds on low. Add the remaining ingredients and mix at medium speed for 4 minutes. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
 

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This post was done in partnership with Nordic Ware who sponsored this recipe by providing the Bundt pan that was used in this recipe. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Brown Sugar Bundt Cake

I love decorating cakes with sugary, buttery frosting with sprinkles and flowers and chocolate and anything else that makes you smile. But sometimes the prettiest cake is also the simplest.  And in my opinion, the simplest cake is one baked in this gorgeous geometric bundt pan.

Please, don't cover this cake with any additional decoration; it is way too pretty on its own. And guess what, it tastes just as good as it looks.

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Brown Sugar Bundt Cake
from King Arthur Flour

1 cup butter
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Using a baking spray (not cooking oil), lightly grease a 9 or 10-cup Bundt pan making sure that every crevice is covered (use a pastry brush for this).

In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for a minute or two between additions. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.

Add the baking powder, salt, and baking soda, then gently beat in half the flour. Gently beat in the sour cream and vanilla, then add the remaining flour, mixing just until blended.

Scoop the batter into the prepared pan and get ready to get some aggression out: find a firm surface such as a cutting board to firmly tap the pan on. This forces trapped air bubbles out and get the batter into every nook and cranny of the pan.  Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, until a cake tester or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Remove the cake from the oven, and cool in the pan for 15 minutes before transferring to a rack to finish cooling. 

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