Every once in a while my sweet tooth will get the best of me and I will crave a dessert without really being able to put my finger on it. Last weekend, I wanted to bake something so a friend suggested I find something to use the Grand Marnier he had bought recently. But when I looked up a few recipes, there were lots of them for complicated soufflés or cakes that required special equipment that he did not have in his basic baking supply arsenal. We decided against baking something and settled instead at picking up a few sweet things at a bakery in Santa Clara.
But the urge to bake – and eat something sweet – did not subside for me. It might have been fostered in part by a recent cold that had me craving some comfort foods such as tomato soup and grilled sandwiches. So at the end of the week, when the cold had nearly subsided I decided to give in to the baking on a Thursday night after work. What I really wanted was the sweet taste of a gooey, pineapple upside-down cake like the ones my mother used to make when I was little. I am sure she used a yellow cake mix, with pineapple, brown sugar and maraschino cherries in the bottom of the pan.
I decided to try my hand at making one from scratch since we had some buttermilk leftover in the house from another recipe my mom made a few weekends before. At home I had all the baking supplies I needed, but I did have to go to the store for a few other ingredients such as cake flour. I like the way that buttermilk adds a little tangy taste to balance the sweetness in desserts so this recipe is a keeper.
Pineapple upside-down cake
Recipe courtesy of Paula Deen
Nonstick cooking spray
3 c. cake flour, plus more for pan
1 c. butter, softened, plus 1/2 cup, melted
2 1/4 c. sugar
5 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/4 c. whole buttermilk
1 1/2 c. firmly packed brown sugar
2 (20-oz.) cans pineapple slices in juice, drained well (reserve 2 tablespoons juice for frosting)
1 (10-oz.) jar maraschino cherries, drained well
Pineapple buttercream frosting, recipe follows
Chopped pecans, for garnish, optional
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 2 (9-inch) round cake pans with nonstick cooking spray and coat with flour.
In a large bowl, beat 1 cup butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add the sugar, beating until fluffy. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla and set aside.
In a small bowl, add the 3 cups of flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir to combine. Add the flour mixture into the egg mixture alternately with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.
Divide the brown sugar evenly into each pan. Pour the melted butter equally over the brown sugar. Arrange the pineapple slices and cherries over the brown sugar. Reserve remaining pineapple slices and cherries for another use.
Pour equal amounts of batter over the fruit and bake until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, about 40 to 45 minutes. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes. Invert the cakes onto wire racks to cool completely.
To assemble the cake, carefully arrange 1 cake layer, pineapple side up, on a cake plate. Carefully stack the remaining cake layer, pineapple side up, over the first layer. Frost the sides of the cake with pineapple buttercream frosting. Press chopped pecans into sides of cake, if desired.
Pineapple Buttercream Frosting:
1/2 c. butter, softened
2 tbsp. reserved pineapple juice
3 1/2 c. confectioners’ sugar
Beat all the ingredients in a large bowl until well combined.
Yield: about 2 c.
Meyer lemon curd tart
Recipe courtesy of Anne Burrell
For the crust:
1 stick cold butter, cut into pea size pieces
1/4 c. sugar
1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling dough
1 egg yolk
Pinch salt
2 to 4 tbsp. cold water
For the curd:
3/4 c. freshly squeezed Meyer lemon juice
3 Meyer lemons, zested
1 1/3 c. sugar
5 eggs
Pinch salt
1 1/2 sticks butter, cut into pats
For the garnish:
1 pint blueberries
2 tbsp. sugar
2 tbsp. Meyer lemon juice
Special equipment: 1 pound dried beans, 10-inch tart pan
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
For the dough:
Put the butter, sugar, flour, egg yolk and salt in a food processor and pulse for 30 to 60 seconds or until the mixture has a grainy consistency, or what I like to call the “Parmesan cheese” stage. Add half of the water and pulse the food processor 2 to 3 times. The dough should start to come together, add the remaining water if needed. Check the consistency of the dough by clenching a small handful in your fist. If the dough stays together it is the proper consistency. If not, pulse the dough with a little more water. When the dough has reached the proper consistency, dump it out on a clean work surface. Using the heel of your hand, schmear the dough straight forward and roll it back with your fingertips. Repeat this process 1 to 2 more times, dust with flour if needed. Form the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
On a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough out to 1/8 to 1/4-inch in thickness. Lay the dough in the tart pan. Push the dough into the sides of the tart pan by rolling a small scrap of dough into a ball and pushing it into the dough. Roll over the top edge of the tart pan with the rolling pin to cut the extra dough from the pan and create a crisp edge. Cover the dough with aluminum foil and gently poke the foil into the side edges to fit the pan. This will help to keep the sides of the tart tall and straight as it cooks. Fill the tart shell with the dried beans and place in the preheated oven. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, remove the foil and beans and bake for 2 to 3 minutes more. Remove the tart shell from the oven and cool. The dough should be golden and crisp.
For the curd:
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
In a bowl, combine the lemon juice, zest, sugar, eggs and salt and whisk to a homogeneous consistency. Place in saucepan and bring to a medium heat. Cook, whisking, constantly until the mixture has thickened, about 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in the butter, 2 pats at a time until it’s incorporated and has a silky consistency.
Pour the lemon curd into the prepared tart shell and bake in the preheated oven until the lemon curd has set, about 15 minutes. Let cool completely before cutting.
To garnish: In a small bowl, mix together blueberries, sugar and lemon juice. Serve alongside tart slices.
