Chocolate Chip Loaf Cake
Posted: 03/16/2013 Filed under: cakes, desserts, recipes | Tags: baking, chocolate chip loaf, chocolate chips, dessert, loaf cake, recipe, tea cakes 45 Comments »
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
- 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.
- Sift the flour and salt together in a medium bowl and set aside.
- 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.
- 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.
- Divide the batter evenly between the two pans.
- Bake for about 65 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs.
- 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 – Dutch Shortbread
Posted: 03/09/2013 Filed under: cookies, desserts, recipes | Tags: almonds, baking, cookies, Dutch shortbread, Jan Hagel cookies, recipe, shortbread cookies 49 Comments »
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
- 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.
- Place your oven rack in the center position and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- 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.
- 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.
- Bake the cookies for about 20-25 minutes, or until they are golden in color and the cookies are firm.
- 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.
- 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
Flourless Chocolate Cake
Posted: 03/01/2013 Filed under: cakes, chocolate, desserts, recipes | Tags: baking, cake, chocolate, chocolate cake, dessert, flourless chocolate cake, recipe 50 Comments »
Flourless Chocolate Cake
A chocolate smackdown. That’s the only way I can describe this Chocolate Flourless Cake. It is a dense cake, with such intense chocolate flavor that I assure you, my food infatuated friends, that a small sliver is all you’ll need. And don’t be alarmed when you take it out of the oven and it seems to slowly deflate and become cracked and dented, that’s what’s supposed to happen. That’s this cake’s natural charm. It’s not about physical perfection in this particular decadent dessert, but about flavor. If you don’t like chocolate, then pal, you came to the wrong blog posting.
I like to serve it lightly dusted with powdered sugar and a dollop of freshly whipped cream. I guarantee, when you serve this to your troops, you’ll look like a real hero. Mama doesn’t lie.
Flourless Chocolate Cake
Flourless Chocolate Cake
From Tyler’s Ultimate
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut up, plus more to butter the pan
- 1 pound bittersweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces
- 9 large eggs, separated
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- Powdered sugar for dusting
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Melt 1-2 tablespoons of butter, and using your pastry brush, butter the inside of a 9″ springform pan.
- Using a sharp knife on a cutting board, chop your chocolate into small pieces all approximately the same size for even melting. Cut your butter into pieces and place the chocolate and the butter in a medium sized plastic bowl and melt in the microwave in 20 second increments. Using a rubber spatula, stir the chocolate mixture after each 20 seconds. Be very careful not to burn the chocolate as it will seize.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, or with a hand-held mixer, whisk the egg yolks and sugar together until pale yellow in color. Mix a little of the chocolate mixture into the egg yolk mixture to temper the eggs. If you add all the warm chocolate to the egg mixture all at once it will scramble the eggs and we don’t want that. Then add the rest of the chocolate to the eggs.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or with a hand-held mixer, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks are formed. Gently add the egg whites to the chocolate mixture being careful not to deflate your egg whites.
- Pour the mixture into your prepared pan.
- Bake until the cake is set, the top starts to crack, and when a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out with moist crumbs clinging to it. It took about 50-55 minutes for my cake to bake. All ovens are different, so the time is approximate.
- Let the cake sit in the pan for about 10 minutes before releasing the sides.
- Serve at room temperature. You can dust with powdered sugar, and serve with a dollop of freshly whipped cream.
Serves 8-10
Flourless Chocolate Cake, right out of the oven in your 9″ Springform pan.
Mama’s Tips:
When separating your eggs; take good care not to get any yolk in the whites or stiff peaks will not form. Also, make sure that your bowl and beaters used to whip the whites are free of any grease as that will cause your whites not to peak.
When adding stiff egg whites to a batter, always do so gently so that you do not deflate the egg whites. Fold in gently with a metal spatula.
When melting chocolate in the microwave; always do it in small increments of 20 seconds so that you do not burn the chocolate. If the chocolate gets too hot it will seize. Always stir with a rubber spatula after each 20 seconds.
Flourless Chocolate Cake
Recipe: Easy
Shallot and Thyme Dinner Rolls
Posted: 02/22/2013 Filed under: Bread, muffins, Vegetables | Tags: baking, bread, dinner rolls, recipe, shallots, thyme 36 Comments »
Shallot & Thyme Dinner Rolls
You know, here at Mama’s Gotta Bake we’re not only about the sweet and sugary. Yes, I do dream about large chocolate cakes dripping in buttercream icing, but sometimes I like to cross over to the dark side and bake something using more savory ingredients.
I had a large bag of shallots and some fresh thyme left over from a meal I made a few days ago. I happen to love the combination of these two ingredients and remembered a dinner roll recipe I found in a very British cookbook I have. I’m obsessed with baking tins and pans of all sorts, so being the wild-and-crazy girl that I am, I decided instead of making these rolls in a standard muffin tin, that I would use the dariole molds I had just gotten a week before. Dariole molds are also called baba molds or timbales. You can find them at most cooking stores or restaurant supply stores.
Anyway, I thought for sure the family would turn up their noses at these rolls, but surprisingly they finished every last one. Who knew!
- Shallot & Thyme Dinner Rolls
Shallot & Thyme Dinner Rolls
From “The Perfect Afternoon Tea”
- 8 ounces shallots, peeled
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, for cooking shallots
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, for cooking shallots
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme minced, plus additional sprigs for garnish
- 2 cups self-rising flour
- pinch salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons superfine sugar
- 4 ounces soft herb and garlic cheese ( I used this)
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- 2 eggs
- 6 tablespoons butter, melted
- salt and pepper
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and place oven rack in the center position. Using a pastry brush and melted butter, grease 10 dariole molds (baba molds). I used these molds because I thought they would make an interesting looking roll, but you could however, just make them in a standard size muffin tin or even in mini muffin tins.
- Drop the shallots into a medium sized saucepan of boiling water and blanch for 2 minutes and then drain. When cooled, slice the shallots into quarters.
- In a large frying pan, heat the oil and butter over medium heat. Add the shallots and sauté until they are caramelized on all sides. Stir in the thyme and season with salt and pepper. Cool and set aside.
- In a large bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking powder and sugar.
- In another bowl, with the mixer on medium-low, beat together the soft cheese, milk, eggs and melted butter. Pour into a well in the center of the dry ingredients and blend until incorporated. Do not over mix.
- Scrape the shallots and the liquid into the batter (reserving some to top each roll) and stir lightly.
- Divide the batter between the molds and fill 3/4 full. Place a shallot and some thyme sprigs on top.
- If using the dariole mold, bake for 25-30 minutes or until tops are firm to the touch and lightly browned. If using a mini muffin tin, adjust the time accordingly. These are best served warm. To re-warm them, I just popped them in the microwave for about 20 seconds and they were great.
Makes 10 tall muffins
Caramelize your shallots
Mama’s Tips:
Like most batters, do not over mix the ingredients. Mix just until all the ingredients are incorporated.
Mama just loves the combination of shallots and thyme.
Recipe: Easy
Mini Almond Bites
Posted: 02/13/2013 Filed under: cookies, desserts, recipes, snacks | Tags: almond bites, almonds, baking, cookies, mini almond cookies, recipe 15 Comments »
Mini Almond Bites
Recently I was asked if I would bring a dessert to a wedding shower. Of course I would, that’s what I do. That’s what I live to do. I’m always so thrilled when I’m given the task of providing dessert, as it gives me a real purpose in life. So, when I was trying to decide what I should make, I knew immediately that it would have to be a mini dessert. At any gathering of women I’ve ever been too, my observation has been if the desserts are not mini, women won’t touch them. Ultimately I notice, they may eat 2 or 3 mini desserts which equals one normal sized treat. Oh come on ladies, don’t hate me for saying this, you know it’s true.
Well anyway, I ended up making these Mini Almond Bites. Not surprisingly, they went over very well. They’re a little bit chewy like a macaron, and filled with lots of crunch from the abundance of almonds.
Mini Almond Bites
Mini Almond Bites
From Brownies & Bars
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup butter
- 1 egg
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup chopped almonds
- 1 recipe Almond Glaze
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F with the rack in the center of the oven. Line two 12-cup mini muffin tins with paper liners.
- In a saucepan, combine brown sugar and butter over medium heat and cook until melted and smooth; cool slightly. Then, with a rubber spatula, stir in the egg, and almond and vanilla extracts.
- In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and baking soda. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, and with the rubber spatula, stir just until combined. Stir in 1/3 cup of the almonds. Reserve the rest for topping the cookies.
- Spoon the batter into the muffin cups, filling until half full. Sprinkle with the remaining almonds.
- Bake for 14-17 minutes or until tops are light brown. Cool in muffin tins on a wire rack for 5 minutes. When cooled you can drizzle the cookies with the Almond Glaze.
Almond Glaze
In a small bowl whisk together 1/2 cup of powdered sugar with 1/4 teaspoon of almond extract and about 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons of milk until you reach a good drizzling consistency.
Makes 24 mini bites
Mini Almond Bites
Recipe: Easy
Mini Almond Bites
Apple Streusel Coffee Cake
Posted: 02/07/2013 Filed under: cakes, desserts, fruit, recipes | Tags: apple, apple streusel cake, baking, cake, coffee cake, dessert, recipe 36 Comments »
Apple Streusel Coffee Cake
I come from a long line of coffee cake eaters. In fact, the family motto is” we never met a coffee cake we didn’t like”. Our family’s coat-of-arms is a cheese Danish and a cup of coffee. So you get my drift, right. We like coffee cake, so much so that I can’t bake ‘em as fast as they eat ‘em. But that’s okay, it keeps me on my toes.
This Apple Streusel Coffee Cake is a particular family favorite. Why, because it’s all apple-y, and streusel-y, and cinnamon-y, and nut-y. I can think of no better combination of flavors. Well, maybe coconut and bananas, but that will be another blog posting.
Apple Streusel Coffee Cake
Apple Streusel Coffee Cake
Adapted from Gale Gand’s Brunch!
The Cake
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup milk
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2 apples, peeled and cored, and chopped (I like to use a tart Granny Smith apple)
- 1/3 cup walnuts, chopped
Streusel Topping
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut up
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Using a pastry brush and melted butter, grease an 8-inch baking dish.
- For the cake, sift together the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer (or I used an electric hand-mixer) beat the egg and then mix in the milk and melted butter. Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until everything is incorporated. Add the apples and walnuts to the mixture and pour into the baking dish.
- To make the streusel topping, mix the sugar, flour, cold butter and cinnamon in a medium bowl by pinching them together with your fingers until combined. Spoon the mixture over the top of the batter.
- Place the oven rack in the bottom third of the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes until golden, and when a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan, and then cut into squares.
Recipe: Easy
Mama’s Tips:
Not all apples fare well when added to baked goods. The varieties that I find work well are; Granny Smith, Fuji, Rome Beauty, Gala and Honeycrisp. I like to use a combination of these apples instead of just using one kind.
Roasted Broccoli & Cauliflower
Posted: 01/31/2013 Filed under: recipes, side dish, Vegetables | Tags: broccoli, cauliflower, cooking, recipe, roasted vegetables, side dish 9 Comments »
Roasted Broccoli & Cauliflower
Yes, Mama does like to bake. I know how I tell you all the time how I love to play gleefully in my kitchen with butter, flour and sugar. And how I take such pride in my cookies, cakes and other crumb-like creations that emanate from my oven. But, Mama’s not a one-trick pony you know. I’m well aware of the virtues of fresh fruits and vegetables.
Now that the holiday season is over and all the out-of-town guests have left, Mama’s getting back to the business of eating healthy. During the winter, when it’s even too cold in Los Angeles to use the outdoor grill, I love to roast my vegetables.
Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower are a big hit at my dinner table. Roasting the vegetables at a high temperature causes the veggies to caramelize; this is when the acid in the vegetables breaks down and the sugar is released, bringing out their natural sweetness. Be careful though not to over bake the vegetables, because limp broccoli is a real dinner downer. When I pull the tray out of the oven, I use a metal spatula to scoop up all those tasty brown bits on the sheet pan because that’s where all the flavor is. It’s fresh, it’s simple and it just tastes darn good.
Roasted Broccoli & Cauliflower
Roasted Broccoli & Cauliflower
- 1 1/2 lb. broccoli, washed and cut in large chunks (leave about 1 1/2″ of stems)
- 1 1/2 lb. cauliflower, washed and cut into large chunks
- 4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 3/4 teaspoon, fresh ground pepper
- 1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Directions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees, and place oven rack in the bottom third of the oven.
- Wash the broccoli and cauliflower under cool water and cut them into large chunks. Leave about 1 1/2″ of the stems on the broccoli. Dry with a paper towel.
- Thinly slice the 4 cloves of garlic.
- Place the broccoli, cauliflower and garlic onto a large baking sheet. Drizzle the vegetables and garlic with olive oil, and sprinkle with the salt and pepper. With your hands, toss to evenly coat all the ingredients.
- Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until the vegetables are tender when pierced with a knife. Be careful not to over-bake the vegetables, you still want a little crunch in them. Halfway through baking, take the pan out and toss the vegetables so all sides will brown.
- While the vegetables are baking, toast your pine nuts in a small frying pan (dry, no oil in the pan) over medium heat. Stir them constantly so they do not burn. This will only take a few minutes. When they start to caramelize, remove them from the heat and transfer to a small bowl.
- When the veggies are done, transfer them to a serving bowl. Use a metal spatula to get all those little bits and pieces off the baking sheet because that stuff is full of flavor. Toss in the pine nuts. Sprinkle the parmesan cheese on top of the veggies and serve immediately.
Serves 6
Roasted Broccoli & Cauliflower
Mama’s Tips:
To toast the pine nuts; place in a small frying pan (dry, no oil) over medium heat stirring constantly so the nuts do not burn. When they get a little golden brown in color, remove from the heat and transfer to a small bowl.
When roasting the vegetables, spread them out in one layer on the baking sheet. Don’t crowd the vegetables or stack. Use two baking sheets if you need to, but you want all the vegetables exposed to the heat.
