Hamburger with Grilled Onions

By now you all know that Mama’s Gotta Bake, and oftentimes Mama’s Gotta Cook, but now that the warm weather has rolled into Southern California…Mama’s Gotta Grill. If you’ve read this blog for any length of time you would think that I live on nothing but cake, cookies and the occasional scoop of ice cream.  But if the truth be told, what I’m totally obsessed with is burgers. Oh please, spare me with your turkey, chicken, lamb, salmon and veggie burgers, I’m a purist and it’s nothing but good ‘ol beef burgers for me.

For years I’ve kept a tiny, tattered notebook in the over-stuffed utility drawer in my kitchen. I call it My Burger Bible. Every time I see a tip in the newspaper, the internet, a cookbook, YouTube or the television on how to make a better burger, I write it down in this notebook. So, as summer approaches and you begin to fire up your grills, I thought I would share some of the information I’ve accumulated with you.

Tips for making the best burgers

The Meat

• When it comes to a tasty burger, fat is your friend. Fat will add tons of flavor and moisture to your burger, and it will shrink less. I usually choose a meat mixture with a 70/30 fat ratio. If that sounds too fatty to you, then go with an 80/20.
• Never use frozen or pre-formed patties, that’s just an insult to any decent burger. If you can, have a butcher coarsely grind a combination of chuck and brisket.
• When forming the burgers, use wet hands so that the meat will not stick them. Don’t overwork the meat to form the patties. The less you handle the meat the better, otherwise the resulting burger will be dry and dense.
• Season you burgers with salt right before you’re ready to grill them. Salt takes the moisture right out of the meat and you’ll end up with some pretty dry burgers.
• When you’re cooking a lot of burgers at once on the grill, it helps to weigh and size the patties, this way they will cook uniformly. (Serious Eats)
• Bobby Flay suggests that when you’ve formed your patty, take your thumb and make a well in the center of the burger. This will help it to keep it’s shape. Also, chilling your patties for several hours before cooking will aid in them keeping their shape.

Grilling the Burgers

• You will want to place your burgers on a very hot grill because you want to sear the outside of the burger. Searing the burger seals in the juices.
• When the burger is on the grill, don’t press down on it with a spatula, or you will squeeze the juices right out.
• When the burger is properly seared, it will no longer stick to the grill.
• Like other meats that you grill, let your burgers “rest” for several minutes before serving them, so that the juices will redistribute. (Huffington Post)

The Bun

• My friends, never take bun selection lightly. One must carefully consider bun to burger ratio seriously.
• When forming your patties, make them approximately the same size as your bun. You can make the patty a little bit bigger than the bun, as the patty will shrink a bit on the grill.
• Don’t choose a bun that is too soft because they tend to fall apart if your burger is juicy. However, don’t choose a bun that too hard as the burger will shoot out of it when you take the first bite. My personal favorite is a brioche bun.

Take the pointier end of an egg and use it to make a “well” in the center of the burger. This will help the burger to keep its shape.

So, how does Mama like her burger…simple. I like a little crispy lettuce, fresh tomato, lots of ketchup (yeah, I do!), but most importantly I’ve gotta have the grilled onions. They take 5 minutes to make and my burgers wouldn’t be caught dead without them.

Grilled Onions

Grilled Onions

1. Slice 2 large onions thinly, or for best results, slice them on a mandolin (on the thicker setting) for uniform size. Toss the onions with a tablespoon of olive oil, Kosher salt, fresh ground pepper, and some red pepper flakes until coated.
2. Set your grill to medium-high.
3. Spray a piece of foil with cooking spray and place on the hot grill. With tongs, spread the onions out over the foil and toss occasionally so all slices cook evenly. Remove from the heat when the onions have begun to caramelize and are softened. About 5-8 minutes. Use immediately.
4. Enough for 4-5 burgers.

Grilled Hamburgers

Recipe: Easy

Polenta Cake with Citrus

As I started to write this post I realized that not everyone would be familiar with polenta, or realize that you could actually use it in a cake. Polenta, a ground cornmeal which can be white or yellow in color, has its origins in Italy. This humble “peasant” food has been a staple of Italian cooking for hundreds, and hundreds of years. And need I remind you that the best food comes from Italy.

This “Mama” is a lover of comfort food and rustic desserts, and that’s exactly what this Polenta Cake is…rustic. It’s simple and straight forward. It’s not overly sweet, and almost gritty in texture, and that’s what I love about it. Imagine if you will that you’re sitting in the hills of Tuscany under an olive tree having a picnic lunch of bread, cheese, olives and wine. This Polenta Cake would be the perfect ending to that meal. I like to top mine with a huge dollop of freshly made whipped cream and my homemade strawberry sauce. As we head into the summer months, I find myself serving this dish quite often at my backyard barbeques’.

Polenta Cake with Citrus

Polenta Cake with Citrus

From Women’s Health Magazine

• 4 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 2 cups almond flour
• 3/4 cup fine polenta 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• zest of one whole lemon
• zest of one whole orange
• strawberry sauce and whipped cream garnish

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and place the oven rack in the center position. Melt some butter, and using a pastry brush, brush the bottom and sides of the pan and then dust the pan with some almond flour. Tap out the excess.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy for about two minutes.  Add the eggs one at a time and then the applesauce, and beat just until ingredients are incorporated.
3.   In another bowl, combine the flour, polenta and baking powder. Add the flour mixture along with the orange and lemon zest to the bowl on the electric mixer and beat on medium-low speed just until ingredients are incorporated.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. I used a small off-set spatula to spread it evenly in the pan. Bake the cake for 35-40 minutes until the edges are golden and when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
5. I topped this cake (as you can see) with freshly whipped cream and a fresh strawberry sauce once the cake was completely cooled.

Polenta Cake with Citrus

Fresh Strawberry Sauce 

• 4 cups strawberries, rinsed, hulled and sliced
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice

Directions

1. Place the strawberries, sugar and lemon juice into a medium saucepan.
2. Cook over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, stirring to dissolve sugar.
3. Cook for about 5-8 minutes until the sugar is completely dissolved and the berries have softened. Transfer to a bowl and chill. If there’s too much liquid in the mixture, then just spoon some off.

Polenta Cake hot out of the oven

Recipe: Easy

The Getty Museum

Sometimes I think you all get tired of me saying it, but I really do think Los Angeles is a city with so much to offer. Since plopping myself down here 32 years ago, I feel as though I’ve been on a constant vacation. It’s not just Kardashians and Justin Bieber here in the City of Angels, but a wide array of spectacular cultural activities. The one place at the top of my list for anyone to visit, whether you live locally or are visiting from out-of-town is the Getty Museum.

Guys, go visit just for the architecture alone. Flawlessly designed by Richard Meier, it boasts 16,000 tons of stunning travertine stone imported from Italy, gardens, fountains and an outstanding collection of art from the Middle Ages to present time. My personal favorite is the Renaissance Art…just sayin’. The campus is so expansive, you never at any time feel as though it’s crowded. Admission to the museum is free, but parking is $15.00. Guests are shuttled from the parking lot up to the museum by a nifty little train, so they make it very easy for you to get around.

Nifty little train

And just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, you guessed it…there’s a restaurant there. The Restaurant at the Getty melds perfectly with the museum itself. It’s walls of glass expose the view of the surrounding Santa Monica Mountains. The food is fresh, modern and artistically prepared. It’s really very civilized. White tablecloths, shimmering glassware and a very attentive staff make it an extremely enjoyable experience.  As soon as we were seated a plate of fresh breads and olive tapenade were placed on the table, and between the four of us, it was gone in 3 minutes. So they brought more.

Fresh breads and olive tapenade at The Restaurant at The Getty Museum

We all tried to order something different, and passed the dishes around the table so everyone could have a taste. We started off with the Roasted Red Pepper Soup with Toasted Croutons. It was fresh and flavorful, and so we gave it a thumbs up.

Roasted Red Pepper Soup with Toasted Croutons

A group favorite was the English Pea Risotto. It was the perfect springtime dish as it was light in flavor and not overly rich like a risotto can tend to be.

English Pea Risotto

We followed up with two salads. As I order Cobb salads everywhere I go I consider myself a bit of an expert on the Cobb and this one was great. The other salad was a Roasted Beet Salad with Toasted Pistachios, which I have to say had so many really tasty elements in it.

The Cobb Salad at The Restaurant at the Getty

Roasted Beet Salad at The Restaurant at the Getty

Since the four of us are major sweets eaters, we had to end the lunch with a bit of dessert. We didn’t feel guilty since you definitely will walk off your meal at the museum, so we ordered the Citrus Tart with Edible Flowers. I can’t say that I ever had edible flowers before, but it made for a lovely presentation. Appetizers at The Restaurant range from $9 to $16 and entrees were $17 to $28. I have spent more on meals at other Los Angeles restaurants that were not as good as this. Between the museum and the restaurant, it’s really a very special day. I hope you’ll get a chance to check it out some time.

Citrus Tart with Edible Flowers at The Restaurant at the Getty

The Getty Museum   1200 Getty Center Drive, Los Angeles CA 90049 310-440-6810

The Getty Museum

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Strawberry Ice Cream made with fresh California Strawberries

What could be more fun for a girl obsessed with strawberries, than the opportunity to spend the day frolicking in the fields of a strawberry farm in Oxnard, California!  Yes, it’s true.  I was invited by the California Strawberry Commission to tour a working strawberry farm along with a group of fellow foodbloggers. The farm is run by Bill Reiman who took us out into his fields and showed us how this gorgeous fruit is picked, processed and packed. As our group stood there in the warm California sun, Bill explained  how environmentally conscious California strawberry farmers are, and how they have invested millions into research and sustainable farming practices.  He went on to explain how 88% of the nation’s strawberries are grown in California, and that California has a 12 month growing season. So guess what, you can enjoy your strawberries 24/7!

The final highlight of the day was a strawberry-themed dinner prepared by Executive Chef Tim Kilcoyne. Our hosts had set up a white canopied tent that was surrounded by strawberries as far as the eye could see, and our backdrop was the Santa Monica Mountains. A Hollywood set designer couldn’t have done a better job. As if this wasn’t enough, each guest was sent home with a flat of  sweet, California Strawberries. Yes, it was a most excellent adventure, and one I’ll never forget.

So what did I do with all those berries you ask…well, I turned them into ice cream of course.

Strawberry Ice Cream made with fresh California Strawberries

Strawberry Ice Cream

Williams Sonoma “Ice Cream”

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup whole milk
• 3/4 cup (185g) sugar
• pinch salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups (250g) fresh California strawberries, stemmed and coarsely chopped, plus more for garnish

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine the cream and milk. Add the sugar and a pinch of salt and whisk the mixture until the sugar dissolves. Stir in the vanilla. Let the mixture sit for 20 minutes so that the flavors begin to blend together. Cover and refrigerate the mixture until chilled, from 3-8 hours.
2. In a medium bowl, using a fork, mash half of the chopped strawberries until they break down into small chunks, then add the remaining coarsely chopped strawberries to the bowl. Cover and refrigerate these strawberries for an hour.
3. After an hour, pour the milk/cream mixture into your ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions. When nearly frozen and the mixture looks like thick whipped cream, add the strawberries. Churn just until blended. Transfer the ice cream to a freezer-safe container. Freeze until firm, about three hours, or up to 3 days before serving.

Makes 1 1/2 quarts

Fresh California Strawberries

We were treated to a chef prepared, strawberry themed meal in a tent set up in the middle of the strawberry field. The Santa Monica Mountains were the perfect backdrop.

Fun Strawberry Facts:

8 strawberries contain more vitamin C than an orange. They’re low in sugar, with only about 50 calories, and strawberries are a great source of fiber, folate and potassium. Yeah, so who else can make that claim!

Strawberries are good for your heart folks. Potassium found in strawberries can help control blood pressure and fight strokes. The antioxidants, fiber and phytochemicals in strawberries has been shown to reduce cholesterol levels.

California strawberry farmers use less than one percent of California’s cropland, but create nearly 10 percent of all California’s farm-related jobs. You go California farmers!

Mama had a grand old day in the California Strawberry Fields.

Recipe: Easy

* Disclosure: This post is sponsored by The California Strawberry Commission. All opinions expressed in this post are my own.

Chocolate Biscotti

I love crunch and I love nuts, and come on friends, we’ve been over this again and again…you know how obsessed I am with chocolate. So here we have it, Chocolate Biscotti, it’s a virtual no-brainer!  And, as if this cookie is not already sheer perfection, yes, you guessed it, it’s dipped in a lovely chocolate glaze. Need I say more?

Well…of course I’ll say more, that’s what I do. I love to make biscotti simply because they’re so easy.  You shape the dough into logs, bake ‘em, slice them while they’re still warm, and then, bake ‘em again. These biscuits are really perfect to accompany a cup of coffee or a hot cup of tea, but seriously I eat six of these before the coffee’s even brewed. I’m so bad.

But I’m still not done touting the virtues of this humble confection. These little gems will store for at least a couple of weeks in an airtight container (yeah right, like these would last at my house for a couple of weeks!) And, if you’re like me and you love to send your friends and loved ones homemade treats, these will arrive at their intended destination fully intact. So what more could a girl ask for…well, maybe a flat stomach and longer legs, but that ‘aint gonna happen.

Chocolate Biscotti

Chocolate Biscotti

From “Great Cookies” by Carole Walter

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/3 cup sifted cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 3 large eggs
• pinch of salt
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter melted and cooled to tepid
• 1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
• 1 bag (12 ounce) semi sweet chocolate chips

Chocolate Glaze

• 1/3 cup water
• 1/3 cup light corn syrup
• 1 cup sugar
• 8 ounces good quality semi sweet chocolate

Directions

1. Place the racks in the oven in the upper and lower thirds. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line your baking sheets with parchment or a silpat.
2. Sift together the flour, cocoa and baking powder and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs and salt on medium speed until lightened in color, about two minutes. Gradually add the sugar, then beat in the vanilla. Pour the tepid butter down the side of the bowl and beat for 30 more seconds.
3. Using a spatula, stir in the walnuts and chocolate chips, then fold in the dry ingredients in three additions, mixing only until ingredients are incorporated. Let the dough rest for ten minutes to thicken.
4. Drop the dough by heaping spoonfuls onto the pans and form four logs (2 logs on each pan) measuring about 10 inches by 2 inches wide. Flour your hands lightly so you can easily work with the dough.
5. Bake for 25 minutes, or until set on top. Let logs cool on pan for at least 20 minutes.
6. Lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees F. Using a serrated knife, cut the logs into 1/2″ slices. Turn the slices cut side up, and return to the oven to bake for 10 minutes. Turn the cookies onto their other side and return to the oven for another 10 minutes until cookies are crisp. When done, remove from oven and let cookies cool.
7. To make the glaze:  Place the water, corn syrup and sugar into a heavy 2-quart saucepan. Bring to a boil over low heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate. Let it stand for 3 minutes, then whisk until smooth. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes to thicken, then dip the ends of the cookies in the glaze and place on parchment until the chocolate is set.

Chocolate Biscotti

Chocolate Biscotti

Recipe: Easy

Carrot Zucchini Cake

I bet you’ve been thinking all this time, all this lady ever seems to post about is chocolate. And that would be a pretty accurate assumption. I really do have some kind of a sick obsession with it, but every now and then I love to mix it up a bit and do something crazy like add vegetables to my baked goods. I know, it sounds nuts. Oh, and speaking of nuts, this Carrot Zucchini Cake is not only chock full of vegetables, but bursting with chopped nuts and raisins. I would almost go so far as too call this health food if it were not for the cream cheese frosting that is slathered all over the top of the cake.

Today I’m packing this cake and other necessary rations for a little picnic at a location I call my “happy place”. It’s where I like to go when I need to get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. It’s a one hour hike into the Santa Monica mountains to an area they call The Rock Pool. Once there you become acutely aware of how quiet it is. No cell phones ringing, no traffic sounds, just the chirping of birds and the rustling of the wind through the trees, and sometimes the splashing of a few ducks that have taken up residence there.

Right at the edge of this tranquil pool is a battered, old picnic table where my group and I will enjoy our lunch.  I figure I will have worked off at least 125 calories making this trek so I won’t feel guilty enjoying a generous portion of the cake. I’m glad I found my happy place. I would love to hear where your is. Let me know.

Carrot Zucchini Cake

Carrot and Zucchini Cake

From Better Homes & Gardens

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 eggs lightly beaten
• 1 1/2 cups finely shredded carrots (3 medium)
• 1 cup shredded zucchini
• 3/4 cup brown sugar, tightly packed
• 1/2 cup raisins (I mixed regular & golden together)
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans)
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 recipe Citrus-Cream Cheese Frosting

Directions

1. This cake is made in a 13 x 9 pan, ungreased. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, you will sift together the flour, baking powder, ginger and baking soda. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, place the carrots, zucchini, brown sugar, eggs, raisins, walnuts, oil, honey and vanilla. Using a spatula, gently mix the ingredients together. Add the carrot mixture to the flour mixture and combine until all the ingredients are incorporated. Spread the batter into your baking pan.
4. Bake for 24-26 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the cake completely in the pan on a wire rack before you frost it.

Citrus Cream Cheese Frosting

1. 1 – 8 ounce package of cream cheese, softened to room temperature
2. 1 cup powdered sugar
3. the zest of one orange

Place these ingredients in a medium sized bowl and beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.

Carrot Zucchini Cake

Recipe: Easy

Chocolate Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Filling

It’s so embarrassing to admit, but if I were on a desert island and I could only have one meal it would definitely be a cheeseburger and fries, and chocolate cake, of course. I really only said the cheeseburger and fries for health purposes because I would want to eat a protein and vegetable before I indulged in chocolate cake.

This particular Chocolate Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese  Filling is one of my all time favorites. Chocolate cake all by itself is pretty great, add a creamy, cheesy filling and a sweet white and semi-sweet chocolate glaze and there you have it, perfection. Okay, so it’s just my idea perfection. It’s a little early, but I’m giving you a heads up for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day brunches. I always make this cake for those holiday’s and have not had an unhappy customer yet. I store this cake loosely covered in the fridge, and it actually taste better after being refrigerated.

Chocolate Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Filling

Chocolate Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Filling

From “Land O Lakes”

Cream Cheese Filling

• 1/4 cup sugar
• 8 ounce package of cream cheese, softened
• 1 large egg, room temp
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Chocolate Cake Batter

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temp
• 1 cup water
• 3 large eggs, room temp
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Glaze

• 2 ounces white chocolate
• 3 teaspoons shortening
• 2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F, and using a pastry brush and melted butter, generously grease and flour your 12-cup bundt pan. I purchased a silicone bundt pan which I just lightly coat with cooking spray. I love the silicone pans because the cake literally falls out of the pan without leaving those pesky bits of cake behind.
2. To make your filling:  place all the filling ingredients in a small bowl and beat on low speed until very smooth. Scrape down the bowl periodically to incorporate all the ingredients. Set aside.
3. To make the cake batter: place all the cake ingredients in a large bowl, and begin mixing on low speed to incorporate all the ingredients. Increase the speed to medium and beat for 2-3 minutes until batter is smooth.
4. Pour a little over half the batter into your prepared bundt pan. With a large spoon place dollops of the cream cheese filling on top of the batter being careful not to touch the sides of the pan. Then gently pour the remaining batter over.
5. Bake for 50-60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool your cake in the pan for about 30 minutes. Before you glaze the cake, let it cool completely.
6. To make the glaze: take 2 ounces of white chocolate plus 1 1/2 teaspoons of shortening and melt in microwave. Then take 2 ounces of chocolate chips plus 1 1/2 teaspoons of shortening and melt in microwave. Stir melted chocolate until very smooth and drizzling consistency.
7. Store cake refrigerated.

Chocolate Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Fillin

Mama’s Tips:

You can always melt your chocolate by the double boiler method, but for myself, I prefer to melt it in the microwave. Start with 25 seconds, take it out and stir, putting it back in the microwave and decreasing the amount of seconds each time and stirring after each increment. Remember, chocolate burns very easily, and burnt chocolate makes me very sad.

If you don’t already have one, you might want to invest in a silicone bundt pan. I have metal and teflon coated bundt pans, however no matter how well I greased and floured those pans somehow there was always bits of cake that stuck to the pan. I don’t know about you, but I want a gorgeous cake.

Chocolate Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Filling

Recipe: Easy

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Spring break, what an American classic. Oh, I remember it well. That time of year when college students from all over the U.S. head to warmer climates to blow off a little steam. I suppose blowing off a little steam is actually putting it very mildly. As I remember, it’s Girls Gone Wild and doing everything your mother told you never to do. When I was in college on the east coast, we would head to Ft. Lauderdale for spring break and I still shudder at the thought of the madness and mayhem that would ensue. Ah, good times!

I knew spring break was fast approaching for son #2. I wondered with great apprehension how he planned on spending HIS time off.  He called yesterday to tell me he was on his way home for the week, and he planned on using that time to look for a summer job. YES I thought, we just dodged a bullet, a mayhem-free vacation. Before he got off the phone he asked, “oh, and mom could you bake me something, there’s not much real food up here at school”.  So here it is, Pineapple Upside Down Cake, another American Classic!

Pineapple Upside Down Cake right out of the oven

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

From King Arthur Flour

Topping

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 20-ounce can pineapple rings in juice, drained
• candied red cherries or maraschino cherries
• 3 tablespoons, chopped pecans

Cake Batter

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  
• 1/8 teaspoon coconut extract, optional
• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
  
• 1/2 cup milk

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Melt about 1 tablespoon of butter and using a pastry brush, lightly grease a 9″ round cake pan. You want to use a 9” pan because the pineapple rings will fit perfectly in this size pan.
2. To make the topping: Melt the butter, and whisk it together with the brown sugar, cinnamon, and ginger. Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan and evenly smooth it out using a small offset spatula.
3. Space the pineapple rings atop the brown sugar mixture. Place a cherry in the center of each ring. If you’re using nuts, press them into the empty spaces.
4. To make the cake: I used a hand mixer and a medium-large bowl to make this batter. Beat the butter and sugar until fairly smooth.
5. Beat in the egg, then the salt, baking powder, vanilla, and coconut flavor. Be careful not to over-mix the batter or it will result in a tough cake.
6. Add the flour alternately with the milk, mixing at medium-low speed and beginning and ending with the flour. Once the last of the flour is added, mix briefly, just until smooth.
7. Spoon the thick batter into the prepared pan, spreading it to the edges of the pan with the offset spatula. It may not cover the pineapple entirely; that’s OK.
8. Bake the cake for 30 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
9. Remove the cake from the oven, wait 3 minutes, then turn the pan over onto a serving plate. Wait 30 seconds, then lift the pan off. If anything sticks to the pan, just lift it out and place it back on the cake.
10. Serve warm or at room temperature.

8 to 10 servings.

Preparing the pan for Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Pineapple Upside Down gooey goodness

Recipe: Easy

Chocolate Chip Loaf Cake

What it is about chocolate chips..just the mere mention of their name floods my brain with good memories and happy times. They’re so versatile these little morsels, and I love to ponder their endless possibilities. I marvel how their presence enhances cookies, ice cream, cakes, and muffins. It seems that whenever I bake these days, I try to figure out ways to add chocolate chips to it. Why, because I am a believer that when the road of life gets bumpy, chocolate chips will somehow smooth things out. Well, at least for me they do.

Anyway, when I was a kid my mother would go once a week to Greenberg’s Bakery on Haverford Avenue in the Philadelphia area. She would come home with a variety of freshly baked goods in pink boxes neatly tied with baker’s twine by the elderly Russian ladies that worked in the bakery. My favorite was the Chocolate Chip Loaf Cake that never lasted more than a day or two between my brothers and I.

So, today I pay homage to the humble chocolate chip and Greenberg’s Bakery with this version of the Chocolate Chip Loaf Cake.

Chocolate Chip Loaf Cake

Chocolate Chip Loaf Cake

Chocolate Chip Loaf Cake

From Entenmann’s

• 3 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 8 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 cups (1-12 ounce bag) semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. With a pastry brush and melted butter, grease the bottom and sides of two 9″ x 5″ loaf pans and line with parchment paper greasing the parchment paper also.
2. Sift the flour and salt together in a medium bowl and set aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. With the mixer on low, stir in the vanilla extract.
4. In a large bowl, lightly beat the 8 eggs and then add them to the butter-sugar mixture, mixing until they’re incorporated. With the mixer on low, mix in the flour until it is incorporated. With the mixer on low, add in the chocolate chips.
5. Divide the batter evenly between the two pans.
6. Bake for about 65 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs.
7. Cool cakes in the pans on wire racks for 30 minutes before removing from the pans.

Makes two – 9″ x 5″ loaves

Recipe: Easy

this recipe yields two loaf cakes…

Mama’s Tips:

I take my butter out of the refrigerator the night before to get it to room temperature.

Line your loaf pans with buttered parchment paper, allowing the paper to drape over the sides of the pans. When the cakes have cooled for 30 minutes, you’ll be able to easily lift the cakes out of the pan.

You can also use mini chocolate chips (12 ounce bag) for this recipe for a less chocolatey flavor.

…and uses lots of eggs!

Jan Hagel Cookies

I had a huge decision to make today. Take a 3 mile hike on the mountainous trails in the state park near my house or bake cookies. I really wanted to go on the hike. No, really I did. But, it was cold and somewhat blustery. Blustery you say, in Southern California! Since leaving the east coast 32 years ago I’ve become a big wuss, and when the mercury dips below 60 degrees I am forced to stay in the house. Well, not really forced, but it seems like the only sane thing to do. Really, what kind of a crazy person would venture out into such grave weather conditions. So, there you go, baking cookies won out.

So naturally, that takes us to Jan Hagel  Cookies (pronounced Yahn Hahgel) . I know, that’s a weird name, right. They’re Dutch cookies so I assume they were named for some Dutch guy who liked to bake. But I could be wrong. If you know where the name came from, please let me know. Anyway, when I was a kid growing up in the olden days, Keebler used to make a Jan Hagel cookie. It was one of my favorite cookies, and my mother always had a bag of them in the cookie drawer. But wouldn’t you know it, Keebler, unbeknownst to me, stopped producing the Jan Hagel cookie.

Well, as it turns out I don’t eat commercially packaged cookies anymore, anyway. It’s probably been twenty years since I had a Jan Hagel, so that’s what Mama baked.  They’re just perfect. It’s a cinnamon spiced shortbread topped with sugar and almonds that get all sweet and crunchy when you bake them.

Dutch Shortbread – Jan Hagel Cookies

Jan Hagel Cookies

From Nick Malgieri

Dough

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon (I used Vietnamese cinnamon)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 12 pieces

Topping

• small bowl of water and pastry brush for brushing dough
• 1 cup blanched, sliced almonds
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions

1. With a pastry brush and melted butter, butter the bottom and sides of a 10 x 15-inch jellyroll pan, then line the pan with parchment paper and butter that lightly too.
2. Place your oven rack in the center position and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
3. Put all your dry ingredients into the bowl of a food processor and pulse several times to mix. Add the butter and pulse repeatedly until the mixture is reduced to fine crumbs and looks like coarse cornmeal.
4. Evenly distribute the dough mixture in the pan and use the palm of your hand to press it evenly and to make it adhere together. I used a drinking glass turned on its side to act as a rolling pin to flatten out the mixture in the pan. Paint the dough with water and evenly scatter the almond, sugar, cinnamon mixture over the dough, gently pressing it in to make it adhere to the dough.
5. Bake the cookies for about 20-25 minutes, or until they are golden in color and the cookies are firm.
6. When the cookies are done, take them out of the oven and cut them immediately before they harden. I used a ruler to measure where to score the cookies. I chose to cut them into 1 1/2″ x 3″ bars. I used a large metal spatula to cut into the cookies, but a serrated knife will work fine also.
7. When the cookies are sliced, you can place them on a rack to cool.

Makes 30 – 1 1/2″ x 3″ cookies

Jan Hagel Cookies – Dutch Shortbread

Mama’s Tips:

Slice the cookies immediately after taking them out of the oven as the dough will quickly harden making them too hard to cut.

Jan Hagel Cookies

Recipe: Easy