Pumpkin Sheet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Pumpkin Sheet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

I saw these Pumpkin Bars on Kitchen Runway's blog and knew they would be a perfect into to autumn foods. This recipe is super easy - it's like a Texas Sheet Cake (one of my favorite treats to make) but with Pumpkin and Cream Cheese Frosting.

Be sure to read Kitchen Runway's post...you'll see who got a little bite of the cake! :)

Baked in a half-sheet pan, it cooks quickly. You'll need to cool the cake before frosting (unlike the Texas Sheet Cake that has a warm frosting poured over a warm cake).

The resulting cake is soft and light. You can eat this for breakfast, lunch and dinner. And why wouldn't you do that? ;)

It's Fall. It's also Time for Dodger Baseball! I'm here shouting: GO DODGERS!

The Dodgers always hold a special place in my heart, since they've been my hometown team forever. It's an exciting time for the team, especially after the years of terrible Frank McCourt ownership. Go Dodgers!

I love my offset spatula. It's a must-have in the kitchen. I have a bunch of them (bought a few at the restaurant supply place for the kid's cake decorating party), and use them all the time.

Updated: I also made this in a 9 x 13 pan. You'll get a taller cake, and baking time is about 30 minutes.

Pumpkin Sheet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Adapted from Kitchen Runway who adapted Paula Deen's recipe.
I reduced the amount of sugar and used a pumpkin pie spice blend instead of cinnamon and nutmeg.

Cake:
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups (300 grams) sugar
1 cup (200 grams by weight) canola oil
15 ounces pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)
1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups (280 grams) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice (I used Trader Joe's Pumpkin Pie Spice that has cinnamon, ginger, lemon peel, nutmeg, cloves and cardamon)
1 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour or spray with Pam with Flour a half-sheet tray (18" x 13")
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, oil, pumpkin pie puree, and vanilla.
3. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder & soda, spices and salt.
4. Slowly add the flour mixture into the pumpkin. Stir to combine until completely blended.
5. Pour into tray and spread evenly in pan.
6. Bake for 20 minutes until toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean.
7. Place on wire rack and let cool.

Frosting:
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
2 cups (6 ounces) sifted powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Using a mixer with paddle attachment or an electric mixture, blend the cream cheese and butter together until smooth.
2. Gradually add the powdered sugar.
3. Add the vanilla. Blend until complete mixed.
4. Using an offset spatula, spread frosting over cooled cake.

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House of Bread Berry Bars - from Los Angeles Times SOS Column

House of Bread Berry Bars

As I've mentioned before, I love the Los Angeles Times Food Section's SOS column. Readers write in requesting a recipe from their favorite restaurant, cafe, store or school cafeteria, and the cool people from the LA Times Food Section get the recipe and adapt it for the home kitchen. Win!

This Berry Bar is from the House of Bread in San Luis Obispo. I've never been to the place, but will put it on my long list of places to visit.

Recently, Rene Lynch of the LA Times wrote an article in Daily Dish: 8 blueberry recipes bursting with true blue sweetness. This recipe immediately caught my eye and I had to make it!

It's super duper easy! Mix a butter-based batter together, spread 3/4 in a pan, spread a jar of blueberry jam (or other berry jam) on top and then scoop the rest of the batter on top. How easy is that?!

The recipe calls for a 11 x 7 pan, but I don't have one. I used a 9 x 13 pan and I thought it turned out fine. The cake is light and soft...it's a very nice breakfast treat or afternoon tea cake. And it's super easy to pull together with a lovely presentation.

Recipe:
From the Los Angeles Times SOS Column - House of Bread Berry Bars
Adapted from House of Bread in San Luis Obispo.

3 cups (12.75 ounces) flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 3/4 cups sugar
4 eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
16 ounces berry jam (I used Trader Joe's Blueberry Jam)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line with parchment paper or grease an 11 x 7 inch baking pan. (I didn't have a 11 x 7 pan, and used a 9 x 13 pan. Don't use a smaller pan like a 9 x 9 pan because the cake will be too tall and cook unevenly...just believe me from my first attempt).
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
3. Using a mixer with paddle, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then the vanilla. Slowly add in the flour mixture and mix until combined, but don't overmix. You can finish off the mixing with a spatula.
4. Spread three-fourths of the batter into the pan. Spoon the jam on top. Spoon the remaining batter over the jam in random dollops so the jam can still be seen.
5. Bake the bars until golden-brown on top and firm to the touch, about 40 minutes, rotating halfway through for even baking. (Mine took 43 minutes and I forgot to rotate the pan.)
6. Cool completely on a wire rack before cutting...although I did sneak a couple pieces warm - still very good.

Looking for another blueberry recipe? Try this one that I also made from the Los Angeles Times - it's delicious! Lemon Blueberry Buckle

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Nectarine Streusel Coffee Cake - Williams Sonoma

Nectarine Streusel Coffee Cake

The best part of summer has got to be stone fruit! Yippee. There is nothing better to bring to a morning meeting than a treat with stone fruit, cake, and topping of streusel.

This has a light cake and a really good streusel topping. The original recipe from the Williams-Sonoma website uses peaches, but I used nectarines instead. My neighbor's plum tree hangs over the yard and I think I might make one with plums next.

I LOVE these nectarines...they have a slight mango flavor. So delicious! I got these from Ken's Produce - he's at several Los Angeles Farmer's Markets (I know he's at Torrance, Palos Verdes, Hollywood).

I cut an "X" on the bottom of the nectarines and blanched them for 20 seconds so the skins came off easily.

The cake is really easy to make. It has a streusel topping that you blend together with your fingers or a pastry blender. It's been so hot in Los Angeles lately that I put it in the freezer while I assembled the rest of the cake. I blanched and peeled the nectarines and cut them into thin slices.

Do you make a parchment sling in your pan? I used a 9 x 9 pan and fit in two pieces of parchment. It makes it easier to pull out the whole cake onto a cutting board to slice and serve.

My Instagram photo of the treats brought to a meeting at work. Another day, another meeting. I love these quarter-sheet pans with lids (purchased at my local restaurant supply store).

It's summer. It's time for a tasty treat using some stone fruit!

Recipe:
Nectarine Streusel Coffee Cake
Adapted from Williams Sonoma's Peach Streusel Coffee Cake and they adapted it from Williams-Sonoma Collection Series, Muffins, by Beth Hensperger (2003).

Streusel:
3/4 cup (105 grams) all-purpose flour
1/3 cup (65 grams)  firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
6 Tbs. (3/4 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Cake:
1 1/2 cups (210 grams) all-purpose flour
3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg, at room temperature
4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup milk (I used whole milk)
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
Original recipe has 1 tsp. almond extract, but I did not include it
2 firm, ripe nectarines or peaches (about 1 lb. total) peeled, pitted and sliced 1/2 inch thick (original recipe calls for 1 inch thick but I like thinner slices and I used 2 1/2 nectarines)

1. Preheat an oven to 350°F. Line a 9 x 9 baking pan with parchment paper. (The original recipe calls for a  9-inch round springform pan.)

2. Make the streusel:  In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, brown and granulated sugars and cinnamon. Add the butter and, using a pastry blender or your fingers, cut or rub in the butter until coarse crumbs form. Place in refrigerator or freezer while assembling the rest of the cake.

3. Prepare the fruit: Peel, pit and slice the fruit.

4. Make the cake: Mix together flour, granulated sugar, baking powder and salt and set aside. In another bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed or a wire whisk, beat the egg, melted butter, milk, vanilla and (almond extract, if using) until creamy, about 1 minute. (The recipe calls for "until creamy" but I beat the heck out of the mixture with a wire whisk and never got a "creamy" consistency.) Add to the flour mixture and beat just until evenly moistened. There should be no lumps or dry spots. Do not overmix.

5. Spread batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly using an offset spatula. If using a springform pan, arrange the peach slices in concentric circles from the pan sides to the center. If using a square pan, arrange the slices in rows. Gently press the slices into the batter. Sprinkle evenly with the streusel.

6. Bake until the topping is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 20 minutes. Can be served warm or at room temperature.

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Upside-Down Blood Orange Cake - NY Times

Upside-Down Blood Orange Cake

On my last trip to San Francisco, I lounged in my friend Sumi's beautiful sun-filled apartment reading the New York Times and drinking tea. I love vacations that include lots of lounging and napping. I came across this recipe for Upside-Down Blood Orange Cake in the New York Times, clippped it out and brought it home to make!

I made half the recipe and filled a 5" round pan. I didn't have the fine cornmeal called for in the recipe, so I tried processing some regular cornmeal. I don't think that made much difference (perhaps it was my small food processor), so next time I'll take awesome cookbook author Alisa Huntsman's @janeofmanytrade recommendation and get corn flour instead. It's so cool when I ask something on Twitter and a super nice pastry chef writes back! Alisa, totally owe you a bundt cake :)

I think there is nothing prettier than blood oranges. They are the sassy ones in the citrus family.

Recipe: Upside-Down Blood Orange Cake
From the New York Times Dining Section, Jan 16, 2013, D2

270 grams unsalted butter (2 sticks plus 3 tablespoons - divided), at room temperature
130 grams light brown sugar (about 2/3 cup)
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice (I used a meyer lemon)
2 medium-sized blood oranges
122 grams fine cornmeal (about 1 cup) (I used regular cornmeal that I whizzed around in the food processor for a bit. I don't think that helped much...next time, I'm going to get corn flour)
65 grams all-purpose flour (about 1/2 cup)
8 grams baking powder (about 1 1/2 teaspoons)
2 grams fine sea salt (about 1/2 teaspoon)
200 grams granulated sugar (about 1 cup)
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1/3 cup sour cream (I didn't have any sour cream so I used some Greek yogurt)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch round cake pan. (I made HALF the recipe and used a 5" round cake pan)
2. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 3 tablespoons butter. Add the brown sugar and lemon juice; stir until sugar melts, about 3 minutes. Scrape mixture into bottom of prepared pan.
3. Grate zest from the oranges. Cut away the skin and white pith. Slice into 1/4" wheels, discarding seeds. Arrange oranges on top of brown sugar mixture in a single, tight layer. I cut some pieces to fit in the pan.
4. In a large bowl, whisk together cornmeal, flour, baking powder and salt. In a bowl of a standing mixer, rub the sugar together with the orange zest. Then cream together 2 sticks (225 grams) butter with the granulated sugar. Beat in eggs, one a time, then beat in sour cream (or yogurt) and vanilla. Fold in the dry mixture by hand.
5. Scrape batter into pan over oranges. Transfer to oven and bake until cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center emerges clean, 40 to 50 minutes. (I didn't note how long I baked the 5" round cake - but check early). Cool cake in pan 10 minutes, then run a knife along pan’s edges to loosen it; invert onto a platter and cool completely before serving.

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Torrance Bakery - Cake Decorating 101 Class

Cake Decorating Class 101 at Torrance Bakery

Guess what I did for a few weeks? I took a great Cake Decorating class with my friend, Rosie. Coordinated by El Camino College's Community Education program, the five-week class was held at the Torrance Bakery  in Gardena with instructor and owner, Kirk Rossberg.

For those of you who aren't from the South Bay, Torrance Bakery is an institution in this Los Angeles suburb. Kirk Rossberg purchased the bakery in 1984, and it has grown to two locations and over 80 staff. He is generous to the community, and you can see him here celebrating Torrance's centennial with a large "cake". Kirk, who started working in bakeries in high school, teaches this Cake Decorating Class two or three times a year. If you are the area, I highly recommend taking this class.

And, if you are keeping track...yes, I do seem to be eating my way through family-owned South Bay bakeries! King's Hawaiian Tour and now this class from Torrance Bakery. I do like to surround myself with carbs!

You remember Rosie, right? We've baked challah, yellow cake and entremets together. She's my friend Helen's daughter...I've known Rosie since she was three years old! Rosie is attending the prestigious Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island and was home for a trimester. Having spent time in France making fancy plated desserts, Rosie says it was fun to make some shaped cakes and practice piping and icing.

Class #1: Basics
During the first class, you receive a packet of tools! Ateco spatula, off-set spatula, scraper, two tips, decorating combs, and a rose maker thingy (I'm sure that's the exact term). We crumb coated the cake, piled on the frosting, decorated it with the comb, and piped some shells.

Readers of the blog will know that I hate frosting (which is why the Bundt Cake is the greatest cake on the planet), so I don't have much experience. I definitely need to practice my decorating skills!

Class #2: Fondant
I've never used fondant...and, like 99.9% of people, I don't like to eat it. Assistant Chef Dale led this class. After frosting and crumb coating our 7" cake, we covered it with the fondant. I think I spent half the class rolling out the fondant. We decorated with colored fondant, and Rosie used the play-dough toy to make a border (bottom right photo).

We missed Class #3 that covered making roses, leaves and other decorating techniques...bummer. Here are photos of Chef Kirk Rossberg demonstrating the shaped cakes. It's amazing how fast and effortlessly he can pipe frosting. Actually, I'm in awe of how fast he can make a parchment pastry bag...I felt like I was making an origami contraption every time! Chef Kirk was awesome - very helpful, high energy, encouraging and gave excellent pointers. Although the class can hold up to 30 students, I never felt the class was too big. Chefs Kirk and Dale were able to help all the students. Also, the large production kitchen easily fit all of us.

The class is $175 plus $25 for materials. So, it's $200 for five classes from 5:30 - 7:30 pm. Sure, Wilton classes at Michael's are less expensive, but let's break it down. It's only $40 per class and you walk out the door with a fully decorated cake every week! Your friends, family, and co-workers will love you (in fact, Rosie's co-workers would have chauffeured her to class if it meant getting a cake the next day). Plus, you get instruction, tools and you don't need to make, bring, or clean up anything (for me, that is sooooo worth it!) At $20 per hour, it's delicious culinary art therapy. Since I missed Class #3 and always need more practice, I'm probably going to take the class again next year (there were repeaters in the class).

Rosie's full pumpkin on the left and my Jack-O-Lantern with candy on the right. Oh, these were soooo cute!

Class #4: Pumpkin Cake
I've never made a shaped cake so this class was a blast. Just in time for the upcoming holiday, a cute whimsical pumpkin filled with a chocolate frosting layer was just the ticket. The pumpkin was two 7" cakes (in the middle) and 1/2 of a 6" cake on the bottom and top.

Class #5: Turkey Cake
We had such a good time making the pumpkin cake, Chef Kirk let us make another one. This week, for our final class, we made a Turkey Cake. We had two 7" cakes, and the back was cut. Then, another gold cake plate was cut and decorated with frosting. The head? A cupcake. So freaking cute. We also used the air brush machine - that's the kind of tagging I can get into.

Rosie finishing off her cute turkey...and my little guy peeking out from the box.

Here are some hints I picked up:

• Freeze and use cold cakes for decorating.
• Use hella frosting. (As a frosting hater, this killed me...but I totally get the point. You need to cover that cake so you can pull ribbed decorations, make shapes, etc.)
• Cut the edges from the cake with scissors - so much easier!
• Place eyes high up on a shaped cake and make them big. I should have made my bigger to be more expressive. 
• Have fun!

All the photos were taken with my Android Samsung phone so they aren't that great...but you get the idea. And, I still hate frosting (personal preference), but I like playing with it. The vanilla cake we made each week? That was delicious! 

Thanks Rosie for taking the class with me!! Thanks Chef Kirk and Dale for a fun class!

Links of interest:
Torrance Bakery (opens to music) Locations in Old Torrance and Gardena (Los Angeles area, California). The bakery has seating for coffee breaks, and they make a zillion wedding and decorated cakes.
El Camino College Community Education (this class is listed under Culinary Arts)

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Martha Stewart Texas Sheet Cake

Martha Stewart Texas Sheet Cake

Texas Sheet Cake is one of my favorite treats to make. It comes together SO FAST. You can get it done in a jiffy and it's always a winner with friends and family.

This recipe is from Martha Stewart's book "Martha's American Food: A Celebration of Our Nation's Most Treasured Dishes, from Coast to Coast". The recipe is available online with Los Angeles Magazine.

I've made a few Texas Sheet Cakes in the past. Pioneer Woman has a great one. It is thinner because you use a half-sheet pan, but you can get it done start-to-finish in less than an hour. I make her recipe often. I've also made the Better Homes & Garden version.

Texas Sheet Cake comes together quickly because you boil the butter, water and cocoa together for the batter, and then boil the icing or frosting while the cake is baking in the oven. Instead of waiting for the cake to cool like most other frostings, with Texas Sheet Cake, you pour the frosting on a WARM cake. Easy peasy, no?

I found the cake really yummy. I like baking it in a 9 x 13 pan (compared to the larger half-sheet pan) so you can make it a bit taller - more like a sheet cake instead of brownies. The baking time was very different than the recipe (recipe: 12-14 minutes, me: 21 minutes). Also, I prefer the Pioneer Woman's icing. Martha's recipe has heavy cream in the frosting - while yummy, sometimes I don't have cream in the house.

Recipe from: Martha's American Food: A Celebration of Our Nation's Most Treasured Dishes, from Coast to Coast

Texas Sheet Cake
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon coarse salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Hershey's)
1 cup water
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
½ cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Boiled Chocolate Icing (see below)
1 ¼ cups coarsely chopped toasted pecans (I omitted the nuts)

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly butter a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl.
2. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-low; whisk in cocoa, then the water. Raise heat and bring to a boil, whisking occasionally. Pour over flour mixture and stir until thoroughly combined. Stir in eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla.
3. Pour batter into prepared pan and tap firmly on counter to release air bubbles. Bake until sides pull away from edges of pan and a cake tester inserted in center comes out clean, 12 to 14 minutes (Mine took 21 minutes to bake). Transfer pan to a wire rack and pour icing over cake while still warm. (Sprinkle nuts on top, if using). Let cool before slicing into squares and serving.

Boiled Chocolate Icing

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
½ cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups confectioners’ sugar (I suggest sifting the powdered sugar)

Bring butter, cocoa, and cream to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, and stir in vanilla and confectioners’ sugar. Use while still warm. Pour over warm cake.

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Nectarine Golden Cake - Gourmet Magazine

Nectarine Golden Cake

Oh, Gourmet Magazine. I miss you. But its demise has freed up former editor-in-chief, Ruth Reichl to judge Top Chef Masters. I love her and the show...her love of food and eating is contangeous. I was lucky enough to see her speak at the Skirball Center in Los Angeles soon after Gourmet was closed in 2010.

Anyway, we still have the Epicurious website to browse the Gourmet recipes. This one, the Nectarine Golden Cake was published in 2009.

As summer winds down, give it one last shout out with this easy cake. It's perfect for Labor Day brunch...right before you turn on the BBQ.

Sweet fruit. Light cake. Simple recipe. It's summer on a plate.

From Gourmet Magazine, September 2009 by Maggie Ruggiero

1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
Rounded 1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup plus 1/2 tablespoon sugar, divided
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon pure almond extract
2 nectarines, pitted and cut into 1/2-inch-thick wedges
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg

Pan: 9-inch springform pan
1. Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Lightly butter or spray the springform pan with Pam with Flour.
2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl.
3. Beat butter and 3/4 cup sugar with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in extracts.
4. At low speed, mix in flour mixture until just combined. Don't overmix.
5. Spread batter evenly in pan, then scatter nectarines over top. Stir together nutmeg and remaining 1/2 tablespoon sugar and sprinkle over top.
6. Bake until cake is golden-brown and top is firm but tender when lightly touched (cake will rise over fruit), 45 to 50 minutes (mine took 45 minutes).
7. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Remove side of pan and cool.

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Banana Streusel Snack Cake

Banana Streusel Snack Cake

Costco sells a bag o' bananas for less than $2. You can't pass that up! But then you have to eat the bunch o' bananas and... you always find a few that never make it into the lunch bag. I freeze a few for smoothies, but love to make banana breads too.

This one, from wonderful cookbook author Flo Braker, is moist and the streusel topping takes it over the top. When I ate it warm, the flavors weren't settled yet, but it got better as it cooled and it was tasty the next day. Flo says it keeps and freezes well too.

The cake is really simple to make. Bananas, butter, and a streusel topping. Yummmmy!


I made this when friends Jun, David (remember the wedding dessert buffet?) and baby Sage came by for a visit. OMG. So cute!! Sage has these long curls in his hair and the most adorable pre-sumo wrestler arms. He had his first bit of cake too...Banana Streusel Snack Cake!

Banana Streusel Snack Cake
From Flo Braker's "Baking for All Occasions" (page 157)

Streusel
6 tablespoons (1 3/4 ounces/50 grams) all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons (2 3/4 ounces/75 grams) light brown sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (I ran out of cinnamon (how did I run out of cinnamon?) and use 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger instead)

Cake
2 cups (8 ounces/225 grams) unsifted cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup ripe mashed banana (2 large or 3 medium) (I used 3 medium bananas)
3 tablespoons whole milk (I used almond milk)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 ounces (1 stick/115 grams/1/2 cup) butter, room temperature
1 cup (7 ounces/200 grams) sugar
1 large egg

Prep: Prep a 9 x 5 loaf pan or 8 x 8 square pan by butter and flouring it, or spraying it with Pam with Flour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

For the streusel: Using your fingertips, mix together the flour, sugar, butter and cinnamon until lumpy; set aside.

For the batter: Sift together flour, baking powder, soda, and salt onto a sheet of parchment or wax paper (save the paper to help you invert the cake onto a rack later). Mash bananas in a medium bowl, then add the milk and vanilla extract.

Using an electric mixer with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in the egg until completely incorporated. Add the banana mixture (it will look curdled, that's OK). With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the flour mixture. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle the streusel evenly over the top.

Bake for 40 to 50 minutes (9 x 3 loaf pan) or 35 minutes (8 x 8 pan), until a cake tester comes out clean.

Cool cake on a rack for 10 minutes. Carefully invert onto a rack covered with parchment. Place another rack on top and invert again so the streusel is on top. Let cool.

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Nectarine Buttermilk Upside-Down Cake - Bi-Rite Creamery

Nectarine Buttermilk Upside-Down Cake

Oh stone fruit. You rock my world. 

Have you been to Bi-Rite Creamery in San Francisco? Oh, some of the best ice cream around! They have two books in print. I picked up Bi-Rite Market's Eat Good Food: A Grocer's Guide to Shopping, Cooking & Creating Community Through Food at the library. I've never been to the market, but it is on my list for my next visit. 

They also have this ice cream cookbook - can't wait to get this one! Sweet Cream and Sugar Cones: 90 Recipes for Making Your Own Ice Cream and Frozen Treats from Bi-Rite Creamery

I used Mango Nectarines to make this cake. I get them from Ken's Top Notch Produce - he's in many Southern California farmer's market. These nectarines are the best...I mean, the BEST. I load up on them every week during the summer.

Melt some butter and brown sugar and pour into the bottom of a 9" x 3" pan. A scattering of sliced nectarines are placed on top. The simple buttermilk cake batter goes on top...and in about an hour, you have something yummy!

This recipe for Nectarine Buttermilk Upside-Down Cake is in the Market cookbook (page 147) and you can use pears, apples or other stone fruits. 

Recipe:

Nectarine Buttermilk Upside-Down Cake

Adapted from: Bi-Rite Market's Eat Good Food: A Grocer's Guide to Shopping, Cooking & Creating Community Through Food
Find it on Amazon or in your library (WorldCat listing)

Topping (placed on the bottom of the pan):
6 Tablespoons or 3 ounces or 3/4 of a stick of butter
3/4 c (150 grams) light brown sugar
4 medium ripe nectarines, cut into 1/2" slices (I used three large mango nectarines)

Melt the butter and the brown sugar. Stir until smooth. Place in the bottom of a 9" x 3" round pan.
Arrange fruit on the bottom in a pretty pattern.

Batter:
6 Tablespoons or 3 ounces or 3/4 of a stick of butter, softened
3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated sugar

1 1/2 cup (6 3/4 ounce) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher slat
3 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoon vanilla

Mix together the flour, powder and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
Cream butter and sugar in a mixer with paddle attachment until fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
Add eggs, one at a time, and beat well between each addition.
On slow, alternately add 1/2 the flour, followed by the milk, then remaining of the flour mixture. Add the vanilla. Do not overbeat.
Spoon batter over the fruit mixture.
Bake in the center oven for 50-60 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
Let rest on a wire rack for 30 minutes and then invert onto a serving platter.
  

  

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Chocolate Cake with Biscoff Cream Cheese Frosting

Chocolate Cake with Biscoff Frosting

Chocolate sheet cake with Biscoff cream cheese frosting.

Dude, is there anything better?

My friend Agnes gifted me Biscoff spread over a year ago and I have been eating it straight from the jar. Trader Joe's now has a version too. I also picked up these Belgium made chocolate sprinkles at Surfas. They are very thin and way better than regular jimmies. 

I made Hershey's Perfect Chocolate cake in a 9 x 13 pan. It's a really easy cake made with, of course, Hershey's cocoa. It is an oil-based cake, with 1 cup of milk. I might try it with soy milk for a non-dairy version one day. The frosting is a mixture of cream cheese, Biscoff, vanilla and powdered sugar. Yummmmmy. 

I brought these pieces (in all different sizes...I wasn't a very good cutter!) to my current workplace and my former workplace.

Two co-workers were celebrating a birthday. When I picked up my carrying case (love these Snapware cases), they left me this poem written on a plastic plate. Ahhh. So cute!

You can make these into cupcakes, but you will need to double the frosting if you want to pipe the frosting. The cake is moist, and the frosting is light and tasty.

Recipe:
Chocolate Cake (from Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate Cake)
2 cups sugar (I used 400 g)
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (I used 245 g)
3/4 cup Hershey's Cocoa (I used 72 g)
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs (room temperature)
1 cup milk (I used low fat milk, room temp)
1/2 cup vegetable oil (I used canola oil)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Prepare baking pans (see Hershey's recipe for various sizes such as rounds, cupcakes, bundt, and sheet cake). I used a 9 x 13 pan.
2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in the bowl of a standing mixer with paddle attachment.
3. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed 2 minutes.
4. On low speed, mix in the boiling water. Batter will thin out.
5. Pour batter into pans and bake.
6. 9 x 13 pan bakes for 35 to 40 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes then remove onto wire racks to cool completely before frosting.

Biscoff Cream Cheese Frosting (from Biscoff website)
1/2 cup Biscoff Spread
1 (8 oz.) block cream cheese, softened (Biscoff uses Neufchatel)
1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

With a paddle attachment, mix all ingredients together until smooth.

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