Bon Appetit Desserts (16 page)

Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake cake until top is golden and tester inserted near center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Transfer pan to rack; cool cake in pan 10 minutes. Using small knife, cut around sides and center tube of pan to loosen cake. Turn cake out onto rack and cool completely.

DO AHEAD
:
Can be made 2 days ahead. Wrap cake tightly in foil and store at room temperature.

GLAZE
: Melt butter with maple syrup and cream in heavy small saucepan. Remove from heat. Add powdered sugar and maple extract; whisk until smooth. Cool glaze until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. Drizzle glaze over cake. Arrange walnut halves decoratively on top of cake. Let cake stand until glaze sets, about 15 minutes.

Coconut Bundt Cake with Powdered Sugar Glaze

This pound cake gets its velvety texture from coconut milk. Look for it in the Asian foods section of the supermarket, or at Indian, Southeast Asian, or Latin markets.
12 to 16 servings

3 cups cake flour

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

2½ cups sugar

6 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

½ teaspoon coconut extract

1¼ cups canned unsweetened coconut milk, divided

2 cups (packed) sweetened flaked coconut

1¾ cups powdered sugar

Additional sweetened flaked coconut (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously butter 12- to 15-cup Bundt pan; dust pan with flour. Stir flour and salt in medium bowl to blend. Beat butter in large bowl until fluffy. Gradually add 2½ cups sugar, beating until well blended. Beat in eggs 1 at a time, then both extracts. Beat in flour mixture in 4 additions alternately with 1 cup coconut milk in 3 additions. Fold in 2 cups flaked coconut. Transfer batter to prepared pan; smooth top.

Bake cake until top is golden brown and tester inserted near center comes out clean, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Cool cake in pan 5 minutes. Using small sharp knife, cut around sides and center tube of pan to loosen cake. Turn cake out onto rack; cool completely.

Whisk powdered sugar and remaining ¼ cup coconut milk in medium bowl to blend. Spoon glaze over cake. Top with additional coconut, if desired.

DO AHEAD:
Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with cake dome and store at room temperature.

Raspberry-Yogurt Cake

The yogurt helps make this moist cake especially tender. Coating the raspberries with flour keeps them suspended evenly in the cake.
10 to 12 servings

3 cups unbleached all purpose flour, divided

1½ teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1¾ cups sugar

2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

1½ teaspoons almond extract, divided

1 teaspoon finely grated orange peel

3 large eggs, room temperature

1 cup plain low-fat yogurt

2½ cups raspberries (two 6-ounce containers)

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon (or more) water

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 12- to 15-cup Bundt pan. Whisk 2½ cups flour, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl.

Using electric mixer, beat butter and 1¾ cups sugar in large bowl until creamy. Beat in orange juice, 1 teaspoon almond extract, and orange peel. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Mix in yogurt.

Add dry ingredients to batter and beat just until blended.

Toss remaining ½ cup flour and raspberries in large bowl. Fold berry mixture into batter. Spoon batter into prepared pan; smooth top.

Bake cake until tester inserted near center comes out clean, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Cool in pan on rack 30 minutes.

Invert cake onto plate and cool.

DO AHEAD:
Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and let stand at room temperature.

Whisk powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon water, and remaining ½ teaspoon almond extract in medium bowl. Add more water by ½ teaspoonfuls as needed for thick glaze. Drizzle over cake. Let stand until glaze sets.

Almond Butter Crown

This yeast cake gets its name from the crown-like look, which is thanks to the Bundt pan it is baked in. It would be perfect for brunch or an afternoon tea. Almond paste is available in the baking aisle of most supermarkets and at specialty foods stores.
10 servings

3 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1¼ cups (2½ sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces

2¼-ounce envelopes active dry yeast

¼ cup warm water (105°F to 115°F)

½ cup canned evaporated milk, room temperature

2 large eggs, room temperature

Seeds from 6 cardamom pods, crushed

1 teaspoon salt

¼ cup sugar

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

½ cup sugar

½ cup almond paste

1 teaspoon almond extract

¼ cup sliced almonds

Powdered sugar

DOUGH:
Place flour in processor. Add butter and cut in, using on/off turns, until butter is size of kidney beans. Transfer to large bowl. Cover and refrigerate while dissolving yeast.

Sprinkle yeast and pinch of sugar over ¼ cup warm water in medium bowl; stir to dissolve. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Mix in milk, eggs, crushed cardamom seeds, salt, and ¼ cup sugar. Pour over flour-butter mixture and stir just until flour is moistened. Cover and refrigerate at least 5 hours.

DO AHEAD:
Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated.

Punch dough down. Dust hands with flour. Pat dough out on lightly floured surface to 20-inch square. Fold dough over into 3 equal sections as for business letter. Press edges lightly with rolling pin to seal. Turn dough so that 1 short side faces you. Roll dough out into 30×6 ½-inch rectangle. Starting at 1 short side, fold dough over into thirds, forming 10×6 ½-inch rectangle. Wrap dough in plastic. Refrigerate while preparing filling.

FILLING:
Using electric mixer, beat butter, sugar, almond paste, and almond extract in medium bowl to blend.

Butter 12- to 15-cup Bundt pan. Sprinkle bottom with sliced almonds. Unwrap dough. Roll dough out on lightly floured work surface into 24×9-inch rectangle. Spread filling over. Starting at 1 long side, roll dough up jelly-roll style. Cut dough crosswise into 8 slices. Arrange dough slices, cut sides down, in prepared pan, spacing evenly apart. Let rise in warm draft-free area until almost doubled in volume, about 1½ hours.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Bake cake until top is dark golden brown, about 45 minutes. Turn out onto rack.

DO AHEAD:
Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool completely. Wrap tightly in foil. Let stand at room temperature. Before continuing, rewarm uncovered in 325°F oven about 10 minutes.

Sift powdered sugar over. Serve warm.

Chocolate-Apricot Kugelhopf

This yeast-risen cake is surprisingly hands-off. It requires no kneading and gets set aside in a warm place to rise, doing lots of the work all by itself. If you don’t have a kugelhopf pan (they are available at cookware stores), you can use a large Bundt pan.
12 servings

1½ cups apricot nectar

1½ cups sifted unbleached all purpose flour (sifted, then measured)

¼ cup sugar

¼ cup nonfat dry milk powder

1 ¼-ounce envelope quick-rising active dry yeast

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

3 large egg yolks

3 tablespoons apricot brandy or apricot nectar

1¼ teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon ground ginger

1 ¼-ounce envelope quick-rising active dry yeast

2 tablespoons hot water (120°F to 125°F)

3 cups sifted unbleached all purpose flour (sifted, then measured)

12 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

6 ounces moist dried apricots, quartered

2 tablespoons (packed) golden brown sugar

1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

Powdered sugar

Chocolate Swirl Whipped Cream (optional; see recipe)

SPONGE:
Boil apricot nectar in heavy medium saucepan over high heat until reduced to 1 cup, about 5 minutes. Pour reduced nectar into large bowl. Cool to 120°F to 125°F. Whisk in flour, sugar, milk powder, and yeast. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rise in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 30 minutes.

DOUGH:
Generously butter 12-cup kugelhopf pan. Using electric mixer, beat butter and sugar in large bowl until fluffy. Beat in eggs and egg yolks 1 at a time. Beat in apricot brandy, salt, vanilla, and ginger. Combine yeast and 2 tablespoons hot water in small bowl and stir until yeast dissolves. Mix yeast mixture and sponge into butter mixture. Gradually mix in flour. Combine chocolate, dried apricots, brown sugar, and cinnamon in medium bowl. Mix into dough.