Cherry Crumb Cake & May's Apron Winner

I'm back from my trip to England a little tired, but every bit a wonderful time and the people were so lovely.  I flew home Saturday and that evening heard the horrible tragedy on the London Bridge.  My friend and I were there on Friday in London, doing the "tourist" thing and I can't imagine the kind of hatred that causes people to carry out terror to innocent human beings.  My heart goes out to all of the victims.

Windsor Castle 

I think I've gotten myself back together again--catching up on grocery shopping, laundry, and putting all my supplies back in their place in my studio.  When I saw these cherries in the grocery store, I couldn't help but think about the cherries in the Pacific Northwest.  I love baking with them, and of course, I see some jam being made when I get some free time.

I also thought about the phrase, "Life is a just a bowl of cherries," a song by Ray Henderson and lyrics by Lew Brown.  Judy Garland sang it in 1956 and although it's mostly a happy song, it's also become a little sarcastic one when you refer to the "pits!"  Notice, I've removed the pits in my bowl above:-)

Cherry Crumb Cake
Cake:
1/2 cup (1 stick) (113g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
1/4 cup (55g) firmly packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. Vanilla extract
1 tsp. Almond extract
1 1/2 cups (188g) King Arthur all-purpose flour (plain flour)
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup (60g) whole buttermilk
1 pound (454g) cherries, pitted

Ginger-Lime Crumb Topping:
3/4 cup (94g) King Arthur all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
1/3 cup (5 1/3 T) (76g) unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup (28g) chopped pecans
2 tsp. lime zest
1 tsp. grated fresh ginger
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

In a small bowl, stir together all ingredients until mixture is crumbly.  Use immediately or it can be refrigerated for up to 5 days.

Preheat oven to 350F-degrees (180C).  Spray an 8-inch springform pan with baking spray with flour.  Line with parchment paper and spray pan again.

In a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars together at medium speed until fluffy-3 to 4 minutes.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.  While the mixer is running, add the eggs, one at a time, beating until fully incorporated.  Beat in the extracts.

Sift the dry ingredients and add half with the buttermilk, mixing just until combined.  Add remaining dry ingredients.  Spoon batter into prepared pan, smoothing the top.

Arrange the pitted cherries on top of the batter.

Sprinkle with the Lime-Ginger Crumb Topping.

Bake in the preheated oven until a wooden pick inserted in the center of the cake comes out cleanly...about 1 hour.

Allow to cool in the pan about 15 minutes, then run a knife around the edges and remove from the pan.

With the help of a wide spatula and the parchment paper underneath, I transferred the cake to a serving dish and dusted the top with confectioners' sugar.  While I was in the UK, I had a dessert one evening and it was served with a sweetened heavy cream (not whipped).  The addition was incredible, so if you'd like to serve a slice with cream, here is my recipe.

Sweetened Cream
1 cup Heavy Cream
1/2 tsp. Vanilla extract
2 T confectioners' sugar (icing sugar)

Whisk the ingredients together and serve in a small pitcher.  This cake was definitely a big hit at our home. Enjoy!

Before I announce the winner of May's apron, here are some photos taken in the UK.  The studio I filmed at for the craft show, Hochanda, was in Oundle.  So quaint and the people so hospitable; I felt at home.  So much so, that one of the vendors at their farmer's market invited me in to talk "bread!"

Els van de Burgt (owner of Elizabeth Craft Designs) and I at the studio getting ready for our show!

Now, this month's apron winner is Kelly Booth!  Kelly, please email me your address and I will get this lovely apron off to you.

I'm working on June's apron and apologize for the tardiness.  <3 .="" p="">

Old Fashion Cherry Cobbler

Cobblers, Buckles, Grunts, Crisps, Slumps, Pandowdy's, and Brown Betty's are all variations of using seasonal fruit and adding a biscuit, dumpling or crumb topping.  My mother made these as a quick dessert, but we never felt like we were being cheated out of anything more elaborate!  These desserts are based on taste not fancy pastry preparation.

One of the differences between cobblers, slumps and grunts is that the latter two are cooked on the top of the stove with a dumping topping, but cobblers are baked.   I have fond memories of cobblers, so making a cherry cobbler yesterday came to mind.  These warm desserts, served with vanilla ice cream or when we didn't have any, fresh heavy cream, whipped up are definitely my favorite.

I used canned tart red cherries because fresh cherries are not quite in season here--although in the Pacific Northwest, I could get fresh cherries in early Spring.  And, just like my mom, I cooked my cobbler in my cast-iron skillet she gave me as a wedding present.  It was one of two presents she gave me as "essentials" in the kitchen; the other was a large wooden bowl for making bread.  Both of these gifts are precious to me and almost 48 years old, but used with love and cherished memories.

Cherry Cobbler
FILLING:
4 cans (14.5 oz) Tart Red Cherries in water, drained with 2 cups of liquid reserved
2/3 cups granulated sugar
4 T cornstarch
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. ground allspice
1/8 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg
pinch of salt

TOPPING:
1 1/2 cups Kind Arthur all-purpose flour
5 T granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cups buttermilk
4 T unsalted butter, melted

Turbinado sugar for sprinkling on the top of the biscuits

Preheat oven to 400F-degrees.

To make the filling--In a 4 cup glass measure, with 2 cups of cherry liquid in it, whisk in the sugar, cornstarch, vanilla extract, spices and salt.  Transfer this mixture to a 12-inch cast-iron skillet and bring to simmer over medium-high heat.  Cook, whisking frequently until thickened slightly, 5 to 7 minutes.  Turn off heat and add the cherries.

Meanwhile, make the Topping:  In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the flour, granulated sugar, and baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Stir in buttermilk and melted butter and stir just until combined.  This is a "shaggy" dough.

I used a 1/4-cup scoop to measure my biscuits and place them on top of the cherry mixture. Leave spaces between the "biscuits" because they will rise and spread.

Sprinkle the biscuits with Turbinado Sugar.

Place cast-iron skillet on a baking sheet (in case of filling spills!) and place in the preheated oven.  Bake 15 minutes, then lower the temperature to 375F-degrees and continue baking 10-15 minutes longer.  The biscuits will be brown and the filling is bubbly when done.

Let cool slightly, then spoon filling and two biscuits per person on a plate.  Add rich vanilla ice cream and you have a memorable dessert.  Enjoy!

Chobani Christmas Coffee Cake

Christmas is less than two weeks away and I know we're all scurrying to get everything done.  This coffee cake came to me while sitting for a minute, taking a deep breath, and enjoying a snack of my favorite Greek yogurt--Chobani/Key Lime.  It's no secret that instead of coffee, I have a Diet Coke with Lime every morning, so you can understand my obsession with this flavor:-D

Food brings back a lot of memories for me and while I looked at this packaging, a memory of being with my girls came back.  It happened that the Catholic school they attended was not far from the mall in Thousand Oaks, CA and so occasionally we would stop on our way home for some "mother-daughter" shopping--they shopped, I paid!  And, occasionally we would take time for a treat when a must needed break was called for.  Our favorite place was a cinnamon roll shop, where one bun was plenty big enough for the three of us to share.  I ordered a diet Coke and the girls would get a Lime Cooler--fresh lime juice with club soda and a maraschino cherry!

The flavors in this coffee cake remind me of those days.  It's tang of lime, paired with the maraschino cherry filling and a hint of cinnamon in honor of those buns.  How good it would be on Christmas morning with brunch after all those presents are unwrapped.  My hubby says it's perfect with a good cup of coffee, but I'll have to take his word on that!

Chobani Christmas Coffee Cake

10 T (1 stick + 2T) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
3 large eggs
Zest and juice of one lime
2 cartons (5.3oz) Chobani/Key Lime Greek Yogurt
1 1/2 tsp. Vanilla extract
2 cups King Arthur all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cake flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt

Filling:
3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup maraschino cherries, cut into quarters
3/4 cup pecans, chopped
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Crumb Topping:
1 1/4 cups King Arthur all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 T lime zest
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 325F-degrees.  Use a baking spray to coat a 10-cup tubed baking pan.  I used my "coffee cake" pan, but if you use a decorative Bundt pan, baking time will have to be adjusted.

In a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugars and lime zest thoroughly.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed with a rubber spatula.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Scrape down the sides and add the extract and lime juice.

Sift the dry ingredients and add to the butter mixture, alternating with the Chobani yogurt, starting and ending with the flour mixture.

Mix up the filling ingredients in a medium bowl.  Add half of the batter to the prepared baking pan.  Spoon the filling over the batter, being careful to keep it away from the sides.  Top with the remaining batter and use an off-set spatula to smooth the surface.

Mix up the crumb topping in the same bowl as the filling was in (no need to wash another bowl!)  First, place all the dry ingredients into the bowl and mix well.  Pour the melted butter over the dry ingredients and use a fork to combine.  The mixture will form "crumbles" about 1/4 to 1/2-inch round; perfect for the topping.  Spoon topping over the batter.

Place in the preheated over for 50-55 minutes.  You can test the cake with a wooden skewer poked in the center--if it comes out cleanly, it's done.  Remove from the oven and allow the cake to rest for 10-15 minutes.  This resting is important to allow the filling to cool and not flatten the cake.

I used a parchment lined baking sheet to invert the pan and them placed my glass cake plate under it and flipped it once more so the crumb topping was showing.

It's great served just like this, warm from the oven or you can allow it cool slightly and add a glaze.

Glaze:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 T light Karo syrup
2 T Maraschino cherry syrup
1-2 tsp. very warm water, if needed to thin the glaze

Drizzle over the cake before serving.

Just as I remember from those days of shopping with my girls.  Enjoy!

If you would like to see more recipes with Chobani yogurt, check out their recipe site.

Chocolate Swirl~Cherry Scones

Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Day was what we would call the day before Ash Wednesday and Lent began; it comes from the past tense of the English verb, shrive, which means to obtain absolution for one's sins.  My mother always made pancakes for the evening meal, which we thought was pretty cool to have breakfast for dinner.  (I'm making Red Velvet pancakes for dinner, which not only honors my mother's tradition, but to inspire for Valentine's Day too! recipe up tomorrow)

Mardi Gras is the French word for Fat Tuesday referring to the last day of enjoying rich, fatty foods before one begins the fasting during the Lenten season.  So, I decided to do it in a big way with these scones.  I discovered a new product on the King Arthur catalogue website called Chocolate "Schmear" and knew it would add the "richness" I was looking for in today's treat and adding cherries was...well, as they say, "the cherry on top!"

I used Candied Cherries, but dried or Maraschino would be great too! 

Chocolate Swirl~Cherry Scones
4 cups King Arthur all-purpose flour
2 T baking powder
1/3 + 1 T granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold and grated
1 3/4 cup heavy cream
1 large egg
1 cup chopped cherries (your choice)
1 jar of Chocolate "Schmear" 

Glaze:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 T light Karo syrup
2 T heavy cream

Valentine Cupid Sprinkles (optional)

Preheat oven to 375F-degrees.  Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

In a bowl of a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, mix the dry ingredients.  Grate the cold butter and add to the flour mixture, mixing on Speed # 2 until it resembles coarse sand.  Add the egg to the heavy cream and whisk to combine.  While the mixer is running on low, slowly add the cream mixture and the cherries.  When the dough comes together, stop the mixer and turn out onto a floured board.  Knead just until the dough forms a ball.

 Lightly flour the board once again, and on top of the dough.  Roll out to about 1/2-inch thickness and spread the Chocolate "Schmear" over the dough, leaving about 1/2" perimeter of the dough.

Roll the dough from the back to the front, lengthwise and seal the seam.  Divide the "log" in half, half again and then, each of those quarters into thirds for 12 pieces.  Flatten slightly and place on the backing sheet.  
Brush the tops with some additional heavy cream and bake for 15 minutes, then rotate pans and continue baking another 7 to 9 minutes until golden brown. 

Allow to cool about 10 minutes.  Make glaze and drizzle over the scones.  Sprinkle with the Valentine Cupid Sprinkles, if desired.

The perfect treat to begin Mardi Gras--Laissez les bons temps rouler!" Enjoy!