Clementine Cake

I am all for sweet, sprinkle covered, frosting filled, never-ending layer cake but every once in a while a slightly sweet and somewhat bitter cake is the perfect thing to eat. Especially one made with clementines to remind us Minnesotans that warm weather exists...somewhere...but not here.

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Clementine Cake
adapted from Nigella Lawson

Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Butter and line an 8/9" spring-form pan with parchment paper. Poke each clementine five times with a knife and place in a microwave safe bowl with a cover; microwave for three minutes. Let the fruit cool for about ten minutes and then process the entire fruit (skin and all) in a food processor or blender until smooth.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat eggs and sugar until they have doubled in volume (~five minutes). Add the chopped clementines and mix until combined. Add the ground almonds/almond flour and baking powder and mix until combined.

Pour the mixture into the prepared cake pan and bake for about 45 minutes. I would suggest making the following adjustment to the baking time in order for your cake to not be too wet: when a toothpick comes out clean and the top begins to brown (any where from 40-50 minutes, always check your cake at about the 3/4 mark!), place tin foil over the cake, place it back in the oven, and cook for another five minutes. Depending on how much liquid is in the fruit, the cake can be a bit wet in the center which some people do not mind (but it bothered me).

Make sure to cool the cake in the pan before removing it. This cake will last for days, uncovered on your counter.

Make the glaze: Fill a small bowl with powdered sugar and add 1/2 teaspoon at a time of clementine juice until it reaches your desired consistency.

Cake
13 oz clementines (4-5 small)
6 large eggs
8 oz sugar (1 1/4 cup)
9 oz ground almonds or almond flour (2 1/4 cups)
1 tsp baking powder

Glaze
1/4 cup powdered sugar
Clementine juice

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Sticky Toffee Pudding

One of my most unexpectedly favorite desserts was a warm toffee pudding I had at Lucia's last winter.  I say unexpected because for the most part I do not care for warm desserts (and, yes, this includes hot-out-of-the-oven chocolate chip cookies...get over it).  The cake was warm, covered in freshly made caramel, and did not last more than three minutes on my plate.

I have been meaning to make this cake for over a year and finally got around to it; trust me, it is a great dessert to serve on a cold, blustery, why-do-I-live-in-Minnesota, type of day.

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Sticky Toffee Pudding (Date Cake)

Make the cake: Preheat oven to 350° and butter a 9×13 inch baking pan (and line with parchment paper). Remove pits and chop dates and put them in a heatproof bowl. Pour the boiling water over them and stir in the baking soda. Cover the bowl and let it sit for 30 minutes.

Blend date mixture in a blender or food processor until smooth. In a large bowl, combine the butter and sugars. Whisk in eggs, then salt. Stir in the flour, then date puree. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Make the sauce: Combine butter, cream, sugar, and vanilla in a large pot over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Whisk for about 10 minutes, until the mixture thickens slightly.  The sauce is best right away so make it right before serving (it becomes grainy the following day or the second time you heat it up).

To serve: Cut the cake into squares and pour the warm sauce over the top.  Sprinkle some sea salt on top and serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

Cake
2 1/4 cups dried dates
2 1/4 cups boiling water
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 eggs
1/4 tsp salt
1 2/3 cups all purpose flour

Sauce
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
1 cup cream
1 cup plus 2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla

Other
Unsweetened whipped cream
Vanilla ice cream
Sea salt flakes

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Pumpkin Almond Cake

This time of year reminds me of a joke that my older brother used to play on me when I was little. He says, want to play 52 card pickup? I say, yes, that sounds fun. Cue the entire deck of cards dropped on the ground. I get over it and think, that was mean but he really is nice and would never do something like that again. He waits ten minutes and then says, want to play 104 card pickup? I say, yes, that sounds fun and different. Cue two decks of cards dropped on the ground.

What is the point of this story? The point is that the world can be mean--older brother mean--this time of year. By the time you come to terms with the fact that the sun sets in the afternoon, it snows. A lot.

I am supposed to say something along the lines of: but, hey, look on the bright side this cold and snowy weather means that it is time to start baking for the holidays! While I am not entirely convinced of this, I am convinced that the following recipe should be added to your Thanksgiving menu immediately.

This cake begins and ends with a frosting so delicious that words cannot describe it. If it were socially acceptable to serve this frosting in little ice cream dishes at a dinner party, I would do just that. And for those of you whose friends are seemingly too sophisticated to eat frosting with a spoon, I have two suggestions:

1. Get new friends.

2. Bake the pumpkin almond cake which serves as a more appropriate conduit for getting the frosting to your mouth.

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Pumpkin Almond Cake
from Baked

Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter one 9" round cake pan, line with parchment paper, and butter the parchment. Dust the parchment with flour and knock out the excess flour. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.

In the bowl of a standing mixer, beat the butter and sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the pumpkin puree and beat until incorporated. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix for 30 seconds.

Add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and beat for a few more seconds.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Set the pan on a wire rack to cool for at least 20 minutes. Loosen the sides of the cake from the pan, then turn the cake out onto the rack. Remove the parchment, flip the cake right side up, and let the cake cool completely.

Make the frosting: Place the almond butter, butter, 2 tbsp of almond milk, powdered sugar, and salt in a food processor. Pulse until the frosting comes together and is shiny and smooth. If you prefer a slightly looser frosting, add more almond milk; if you prefer a thicker frosting, add 1/2 cup of powdered sugar.

Cake
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cups almond flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 cup pumpkin puree
2 large eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk, well shaken

Almond Butter Frosting
1/2 cup almond butter
2 ounces (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
2 tbsp almond milk
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla bean paste

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