One Perfect Bite: tea cake

Showing posts with label tea cake. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Old-Fashioned Carrot Bread

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This is a lovely old-fashioned tea cake. It has its roots in the kitchens of Eastern Europe, and those of you who grew up in ethnic neighborhoods probably enjoyed a variant of this sweet bread when you were a child. While its rough appearance leaves much to be desired, I wanted to share this simple recipe with those of you who need such loaves for morning meetings or afternoon teas. Its taste will more than make up for its homely appearance, and the ease with which it comes together almost guarantees it a spot in your repertoire. The loaf can be made with a bowl and wooden spoon and the only other equipment you will need is a box grater to shred the carrots. The bread is moist and dense and keeps exceptionally well. If you want to make it a bit more fancy, raisins and shredded coconut can also be added to the batter. I do hope you'll give the bread a try. Here is how it is made.

Old-Fashioned Carrot Bread...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of the Chicago Tribune

Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup nuts, chopped
1 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups sugar
2 cups carrot, grated
3 eggs

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Generously grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.
1) Whisk flour, soda, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in center of flour mixture.
2) Add nuts, oil, vanilla, sugar, carrots and eggs. Mix well.
3) Scrape into prepared loaf pan. Let stand 30 minutes before baking.
4. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes. Coll in pan for 15 minutes. Turn bread out of pan and continue cooling om a wire rack. Yield: 8 servings.

If you have enjoyed your visit here, I hope you'll take a minute to...

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Three Years Ago Today: Not Yo' Mama's Lemonade

Four Years Ago Today: Braised Vietnamese Fish

Monday, March 11, 2013

Glazed Dublin Tea Cake

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This cake is special. It manages to balance tart and sweet and has a crumb that is as soft as velvet. The recipe comes from The Ultimate Irish Dessert Recipe Collection found on the Fantasy Ireland website, which can be viewed here. The cake is easy to make, but I do have a couple of tips to share with you regarding the ingredients you use to prepare it. Cake flour should be used if you want a soft crumb and you'll have the best result if all the ingredients, including the buttermilk, are at room temperature when the element of the cake are mixed together. It also important to apply the glaze to the cake while it is still warm. The glaze will not spread properly on a cold cake. In Ireland, this type of cake is usually made with currants, but raisins are used here. If you wish, they can be soaked in juice or a liqueur of some type, but it really is not necessary. I hope you will give this simple recipe a try. The cake is a perfect accompaniment to a cup of tea and I think you'll be delighted with this Irish treat. Here is how it is made.

Glazed Dublin Tea Cake...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Fantasy Ireland

Ingredients:
Cake
3/4 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs, room temperature
3 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1- 3/4 cup cake flour
1-1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup seedless raisins
2/3 cup buttermilk, room temperature
Glaze
1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Generously grease a 9-inch (7-cup capacity) loaf pan. Cut a piece of waxed or parchment paper to fit into bottom of pan and grease it as well. Dust pan with flour and tap out excess. Set aside.
2) Cream butter, sugar, and vanilla until fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating each until fluffy. Add cream cheese. Mix well.
3) Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together in a separate bowl. Put raisins in a small bowl. Add 1/4 cup of flour mixture to raisins and toss until well-coated.
4) Add remaining flour to batter, alternating with buttermilk. Mix until smooth. Use wooden spoon to stir in raisins and and any excess flour left in bowl. Stir until well-combined.
5) Transfer batter to prepared pan. Smooth surface with spatula. Bake on center rack for 80-90 minutes, until well-browned and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. It is normal for cake to crack on top.
6) Make glaze while cake is baking by combining sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl. Stir until very smooth.
7) Let cake rest in pan for 10 minutes. Carefully remove cake from pan to cooling rack. Spread glaze on warm cake. Let cake cool completely. Yield: 10 to 12 servings.

Cook's Note: Cake can be stored 3 days at room temperature in foil or cake tin. Cake can also be frozen up to 3 months if wrapped airtight.

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Sunday, October 7, 2012

Grape Harvest Cake

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I have fallen head-over-heels in love with grape desserts. They are relatively new to me, but I am making a determined effort to make up for years of lost time. A few months ago, I featured a Vintner's Grape Cake that was made with olive oil. It was so good, that it had my socks going up and down. Shortly after sharing it with you, I came across another cake on the Whole Foods website. I was drawn to their cake because it omitted the citrus flavors found in the cake that I had already published and I was curious to see if I would like it as well. It, obviously, was time for some comparison testing and a definitive selection of best of class was in order. As it turns out, I was unable to do that. The first cake was a clear winner in the dessert category, but this tender harvest cake took honors in the tea and breakfast category where the intensity of the citrus was deemed to be off putting so early in the day. We'll have to leave the final judgment up to you. I hope you will give both these recipes a try. In the great scheme of things, they are easy to make and I suspect you'll love them both. Here is how the Grape Harvest Cake is made.

Grape Harvest Cake ...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Whole Foods Recipes

Ingredients:
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for buttering the pan
2/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon cane sugar
2 large eggs and 1 large egg yolk
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1-3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for flouring the pan
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
3/4 cup lowfat buttermilk
2-1/4 cups (3/4 pound) red seedless grapes

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-inch metal cake pan and line bottom with a round of parchment paper. Butter paper and then coat pan with flour.
2) In bowl of an electric mixer, cream together butter and 2/3 cup sugar until light and fluffy, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl frequently. Beat in eggs one at a time. Beat in yolk, followed by olive oil.
3) Sift together flour, baking powder and salt in separate bowl.
4) On low speed, beat in flour mixture in three additions, alternating with additions of buttermilk and scraping down sides of the bowl frequently. Stir in half the grapes and pour batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle top with remaining grapes and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar.
5) Bake until cake is browned on top and springs back when pressed lightly with your finger, 50 to 60 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan 15 minutes. Run a knife around the edges of pan, then invert, peel off paper and cool cake upright on a rack. Serve warm or room temperature. Yield: 12 servings.

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Three Years Ago Today: Pumpkin Roll

Thursday, May 12, 2011

Lemon Tea Cakes

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I have a treat that I suspect will really please any lemon lovers who pass this way tonight. I found the recipe for these tea cakes several weeks ago, but postponed testing it for lack of time. I finally got to the recipe this afternoon and I'm really delighted with the results. These petite cakes are really easy to make and they're packed with flavor that's sure to please anyone who favors tart desserts. I'm also taken with their appearance. I love their spare simplicity and I'm taken by the way they glisten when light hits their simple glaze. These would be perfect for a bridal or baby shower and they are a natural addition to a table set for an afternoon or high tea. While I've seen this recipe in several places, I was able to trace its origins back to the Better Homes and Gardens website. I don't think this is a new recipe. Their version of the recipe uses shortening rather than butter and that is more typical of mid-century recipes than those written today. For the record, I used unsalted butter to make the tea cakes, which, by the way, are simply inverted cupcakes. I had anticipated the recipe would make about 24 cupcakes. That didn't happen and I ended up with 16 nicely sized cakes instead. If you are a lemon lover, I know you'll enjoy these cakes. Here's the recipe.

Lemon Tea Cakes...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite adapted from Better Homes and Gardens

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
2/3 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
Glaze
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

Directions:
1) Grease and lightly flour twenty to twenty-four 2-1/2-inch muffin cups. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2) Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
3) In a large mixing bowl beat butter in bowl of an electric mixer until smooth. Add sugar and beat until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Alternately add flour mixture in three parts and milk in two, beating on low to medium speed after each addition just until combined. Stir in 1 tablespoon lemon peel. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
4) Transfer to oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks for 5 minutes. Remove from pans. Place cupcakes upside-down on wire racks set over waxed paper.
5) In a small mixing bowl, stir together the 2/3 cup sugar and lemon juice. Brush sugar mixture over warm cupcakes until all is absorbed. Cool completely. Cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Yield: 20 to 24 cakes.