Bitter Orange and Poppy Seed Cake

My ideal weekend would be doing something that doesn't require my brain to work.  I can be very energized during weekdays but when it comes to weekend, my brain suddenly switches to off mode.  I actually looking forward to Friday afternoon when I know I will be done with chores and obligations.  Saturday is usually spent at church and baking activities, this is the day when I want to be busy in the kitchen.  Sunday is family time, whether we go out to eat, swim, hike, or bike.  Don't we all love the weekend?

Sometimes even having game night during the weekend is too much for me.  I see it as an exercise, i.e. I have to use my brain and I have to interact with people.  I'm just about done with people after church :)  I want to decompress and stare at nothing.  So don't be offended if I say no to anything on the weekend.  It's just my way of saying I want to spend time with family and stay at home.

Speaking of doing baking on the weekend, this easy loaf is one of things I love to make.  It's simple and quick but yet it's tasty and keep for a few days for afternoon treats.  When I made this, I wanted to eat a poppy seed cake and I found a recipe that used Seville orange marmalade and poppy seed.  I love citrus, both in food and as a fragrance.  It's fresh and uplifting which cheers up my mood right away.  Anyway, this cake is moist and delightful!

Bitter Orange and Poppy Seed Cake

Makes 1 loaf

For the cake:

3 tablespoons Seville orange marmalade

150 g plain Greek yogurt

3 large eggs

175 grams sugar

200 g self-raising flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

175 g unsalted butter, softened

Pinch of salt

Zest of 1 orange

2 teaspoon poppy seed

For the glaze:

1/4 cup orange juice

5 tablespoons Seville orange marmalade

Heat oven to 325F.  Butter a 8 x 4-inch loaf pan, then line the bottom with a rectangle of parchment paper.

Put the marmalade into a small pan, heat gently until melted.  Beat in the yogurt, then let cool for a few minutes.

Put the remaining cake ingredients into a large bowl and beat with a hand held mixer until smooth.  Quickly beat in the yogurt and marmalade mix, then pour into the prepared pan.  It will be quite runny.  Leave the mix mounded in the middle of the tin rather than leveling the top, to help it rise.

Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes until golden and well-risen; a skewer should come out clean.  Take a look at the cake after 45 minutes; if it browns too quickly, loosely cover with aluminum foil.  Meanwhile, heat the orange juice and marmalade in a small pan over a gentle heat until the marmalade melts.  Set aside to cool, stirring now and again, until you have a thick, but still runny glaze.  When the cake is ready, cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn onto a rack.  Spoon the topping over the cake while it's still warm.  

The cake is best served the day it's made, but will keep for up to 3 days tightly wrapped in an airtight container.

Source:  adapted from BBC Good Food, by Jane Hornby

Pretty in Pink Cake

My first attempt of making a naked cake and it turned out very, very pink!  I've always wanted to recreate this cake and this week seemed to be an appropriate week for a pink cake (*hint: Valentine's Day is this Sunday).

I've made this cake with the original fruit, which was strawberry, back when I just starting to blog.  Everything was so new and I was still in the process of learning how to bake and how to style my food so it would look good presentation wise.  In fact, I found the photo, which inspired me to make it again.  Here it is:

That photo was an embarrassment to my existence!  I don't know why I missed so many no-no's with food back then but I guess somewhere, sometime, I had to learn, right.  It was taken by a small Sony digital camera that ceased to function a few years ago, and it was my first digital camera.  Anyway, I honestly couldn't remember how the cake tasted at the time so by making it again I hope I can reacquaint my love for the cake.

It is basically a chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting with the addition of strawberry preserves and decorated simply with fresh strawberries.  This time around, it is raspberry preserves with fresh raspberries and I swapped semisweet baking chocolate with a bittersweet one.  I did take out some of the sugar measurement out from the icing because I thought 2 cups was going to be too sweet for my taste.  And I was glad I did.  The raspberry preserves is a homemade one because my preserves is the best 😝.  I decorated the cake with simple decoration of frosting and fruit because I like this look the best with a naked cake.  In the end, I fell in love with the cake again!

Pretty in Pink Cake

Serves 4

Schnappy Chocolate Cake

2 teaspoons unsalted butter, melted

2 ounces (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-ounce pieces

3/4 cup all-purpose flour plus 3 teaspoons

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup granulated sugar

3 large eggs

1 tablespoon Wilderberry schnapps

Pretty in Pink Icing

1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-ounce pieces

6 ounces cream cheese, cut into 1-ounce pieces

1/2 cup raspberry preserves

4 to 5 drops red food color

Make the cake:  Preheat the oven to 350F.  Lightly coat the insides of three 6 x 2-inch aluminum cake pans, using the melted butter.  Flour the insides of each pan with 1 teaspoon flour.  Shake out and discard the excess flour.  Set aside until needed.

Melt the chopped chocolate and the 2 ounces butter in the top half of a double boiler, or in a small glass bowl in a microwave oven and stir until smooth.

In a sifter combine the 3/4 cup flour, the cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.  Sift onto a large piece of parchment or wax paper and set aside.

Place the granulated sugar and the eggs in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle.  Beat on medium-high speed for 3 minutes until the mixture is frothy and slightly thickened.  Add the chocolate and butter mixture and mix on medium to combine, about 15 seconds.  Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl.  Operate the mixer on low while gradually adding the dry ingredients; mix until incorporated, about 45 seconds.  Add the schnapps and mix on low for 10 seconds.  Remove the bowl from the mixer and use a rubber spatula to finish mixing the ingredients until thoroughly combined.  Immediately divide the cake batter among the prepared pans (about 2/3 cup of batter in each pan) and spread evenly (the batter is very thick, so this will take a bit of spreading).

Bake on the center rack of the oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of each cake layers comes out clean, 15 to 16 minutes (do not overbake).  Remove the cake layers from the oven and cool in the pans for 15 minutes at room temperature.  Invert the cake layers onto cake circles or cake plates, then immediately turn the cake layers side up again.  

Make the icing:  Sift the confectioners' sugar onto a large piece of parchment or wax paper.  Set aside.

Place the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle.  Mix on low speed for 1 minutes, increase the speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes until soft.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle.  Beat on medium for another 2 minutes.  Add the confectioners' sugar and mix on lowest speed to combine, about 1 minutes.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle.  Now beat on medium for 10 seconds.  Transfer the butter and sugar mixture to a small bowl.

Place the cream cheese in the same bowl.  Mix on low speed for 1 minute, then increase the speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes until soft.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle.  Beat on medium for another 2 minutes until very soft.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle.  Add the raspberry preserves and beat on medium for 1 minute.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl.  Add the butter and sugar mixture and beat on medium for 10 seconds.  Add the food color and beat for 15 seconds.

Assemble the cake:  Use a cake spatula to spread 3/4 cup of icing evenly and smoothly over the top and to the edges of the 2 cake layers.  Stack the iced layers, then top with the remaining cake layer.  Gently press the layers into place.  Spread the remaining icing over the top and sides of the cake using a combination of spatula and bench scraper.  Wipe excess frosting back into the bowl.  The cake is essentially getting a crumb coating so it will look naked.  If you want to make dollops of frosting on top of the cake, use a 1/2" plain tip and a French tip like I did.

Refrigerate the cake before cutting and serving. 

Source:  adapted from Celebrate with Chocolate by Marcel Desaulniers

Oreo Chocolate Cheesecake in a Jar

It's another chocolate post! After I've been absent for a while, I'm coming back with a special treat.  See how nice I am? :)

This chocolate cheesecake is super yummy with extra creamy and smooth texture.  The chocolate is accented with orange because it has a small amount of orange zest.  I'm a person who like chocolate and orange flavor together--that goes with chocolate and mint, another favorite combo.  The moment I hit a spoonful of this creamy treat, I know I hit a jackpot :)  I gave the jar to my husband and his eyes instantly lit up, and we hadn't had dinner yet!

And who doesn't love the idea of baking cheesecake in a jar?  It's really cute and not to mention, personalized.  Each of us can get a serving of this treat and we don't have to share.  I must say baking this is way easier than baking a whole cheesecake.  I'd like to try a regular cheesecake next time and perhaps top it with fresh fruits.  The recipe was printed in the Oregonians' Food Day section two years ago and I've been meaning to make it.  Yet it sat in my baking folder forgotten until recently when I browsed some recipes in the folder.  The original jar size is 4-ounce but I use 8-ounce jars which are perfectly fine.  Other than that, I made it exactly like the recipe said.

The Oreo cookie crumbs is optional, if you can resist it, ha!  Originally I wanted to also include whipped cream but sadly, I didn't have any in the fridge.  That would be very nice with whipped cream, wouldn't it?  With or without whipped cream, please make this, your loved ones will appreciate you so much!

Oreo Chocolate Cheesecake in a Jar

Makes about 5 (8-ounce) servings

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, room temperature

½ cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

¾ cup sour cream

1 small pinch grated orange zest

3 eggs

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Oreo cookies for decoration

Whipped cream, optional

Preheat oven to 325F degrees.

In a stand mixer fitted with the wire whip attachment, beat cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 6 minutes.  Beat in the sour cream, followed by the orange zest.  Add eggs, one at a time, mixing on low after each just until blended and smooth.

In a double boiler over barely simmering water, melt chocolate chips and allow to cool for 5 to 10 minutes.  Stir melted chocolate into batter.  Finish mixing with a hand whisk to ensure there are no lumps and the mixture has a uniform color and appearance.

Pour batter into 8-ounce canning jars, stopping ¼ inch below the rim.  Place jars in a 9-by-13-inch pan and add enough warm water to the pans to come halfway up the sides of the jars.  Bake 25 minutes or until centers are almost set.  Cool completely and refrigerate at least 4 hours before serving.

Place Oreo cookies in a plastic bag and pound them with rolling pin until crumbles.  Scoop crumbles onto cheesecake and add whipped cream is desired.

Source:  Chef Greg Priest, Albertina's Restaurant, Portland