Read Ready for Dessert Online

Authors: David Lebovitz

Ready for Dessert (7 page)

BOOK: Ready for Dessert
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TOPPING

⅓ cup (80 ml) maple syrup

¼ cup (60 g) packed dark or light brown sugar

½ cup (50 g) walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped

3 ripe Bosc or other firm pears (about 1¼ pounds/570 g), peeled, quartered, cored, and cut lengthwise into ¼-inch (6-mm) slices

CAKE

1½ cups (210 g) all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup (4 ounces/115 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature

½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar

¼ cup (60 g) packed light brown sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs, at room temperature

½ cup (125 ml) whole milk, at room temperature

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).

To make the topping, combine the maple syrup and ¼ cup (60 g) dark or light brown sugar in a 9-inch (23-cm) round cake pan or cast iron skillet. Set the pan directly on the stovetop over low heat until the mixture begins to bubble. Simmer gently for 1 minute, stirring frequently. Remove the pan from the heat.

Sprinkle the walnuts evenly over the maple mixture in the cake pan and lightly press them in. Arrange the pear slices over the walnuts in the cake pan in an overlapping pinwheel pattern. Set aside.

To make the cake, in a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a bowl by hand), beat together the butter, granulated sugar, and ¼ cup (60 g) light brown sugar on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the vanilla and eggs, one at a time, beating until completely incorporated. Gradually mix in half of the flour mixture. Stir in the milk followed by the rest of the flour mixture and mix just until combined.

Scrape the batter onto the pears in the cake pan and smooth it into an even layer, being careful not to disturb the arrangement of the pears. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Let cool for about 15 minutes.

Run a knife around the sides of the cake to help loosen it from the pan. Invert a serving plate over the pan. Wearing oven mitts, grasp both the pan and the plate and turn them over together. Carefully lift off the pan. Any walnuts that are stuck to the pan can be loosened with a fork and reunited with the cake.

SERVING:
Serve the cake warm with
whipped cream
or your favorite flavor of ice cream.

STORAGE:
The cake will keep for 2 days at room temperature, but since it’s best served warm, you can rewarm the cake, wrapped in aluminum foil, in a low oven, or reheat slices in a microwave oven.

TIP:
Here’s a great do-ahead trick: Make the cake, invert it onto a serving platter, and leave the inverted pan over it, which will keep the cake warm for an hour or so until you’re ready to serve.

 

 

Guinness-Gingerbread Cupcakes

MAKES 12 CUPCAKES

I made a fool of myself when I met Claudia Fleming, who was for many years a noted pastry chef in New York City. But I couldn’t help myself—I flipped out whenever I tasted her desserts. Her multiflavored combinations managed to perfectly balance familiar, everyday ingredients with sophisticated presentations. Every time I ran into her, I’d gush about how wonderful her desserts were as I watched her slowly backing away from this clearly unbalanced fan.

I was always intrigued by her combination of gingerbread with rich, malty stout and was inspired to create a cupcake using the same blend of flavors. I add a bright-tasting lime frosting which complements the spicy cake. If you make these, you’re likely to have a few deranged fans, too. Consider yourself warned.

CUPCAKES

½ cup (125 ml) stout beer, such as Guinness

½ cup (125 ml) mild-flavored molasses

½ cup (125 ml) vegetable oil

¼ teaspoon baking soda

¾ cup (170 g) packed light brown sugar

1⅓ cups (185 g) all-purpose flour

1¼ teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

½ teaspoon salt

2 large eggs, at room temperature

½ cup (50 g) finely minced
Candied Ginger

FROSTING

4 tablespoons (2 ounces/60 g) salted or unsalted butter, at room temperature

1½ cups (180 g) powdered sugar, sifted

2½ tablespoons (40 ml) freshly squeezed lime juice, or more to taste

1 tablespoon whole milk

Strips of
Soft-Candied Citrus Peel
or
Candied Ginger
for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners.

To make the cupcakes, in a very large saucepan, bring the stout, molasses, and oil to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove from the heat and whisk in the baking soda until dissolved. (The mixture will foam up, then settle down.) Stir in the brown sugar, then let cool until tepid.

Into a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt.

Whisk the eggs into the stout mixture, then whisk in the flour mixture just until incorporated. Don’t overmix. Gently stir in the minced candied ginger.

Divide the batter among the cupcake liners and bake until the cupcakes feel just set in the center, 22 to 24 minutes. Let cool completely.

To make the frosting, in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on high speed until smooth, about 10 seconds. Decrease the speed to low and, with the mixer running, gradually add half of the powdered sugar. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl as needed to make sure the ingredients are being incorporated. Add the lime juice, then add the remaining powdered sugar. Once the sugar is incorporated, add the milk. Beat the frosting on high speed until completely smooth and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Taste, and add a few more drops of lime juice, if desired.

Transfer the frosting to a pastry bag fitted with a star tip. Remove the cupcakes from the muffin tin. Pipe rosettes of frosting in the center of each cupcake. (If you don’t have a pastry bag, you can spoon a mound of frosting decoratively in the center.) Garnish each with strips of candied citrus peel or a piece of candied ginger.

STORAGE:
The cupcakes can be stored in an airtight container for up to 4 days at room temperature.

VARIATION:
For kids, feel free to use apple cider in place of the stout.

 

Irish Coffee Cupcakes

MAKES 12 CUPCAKES

One of the pitfalls of having a blog is that you leave yourself open to all sorts of questions. The most common are from folks who want to substitute ingredients. I always want to reach through my computer screen, grab hold of their shoulders, and say, “But I worked so hard to develop this recipe. Please make it just as it is!”

When I was working on these cupcakes, I began with the simple idea of individually filled chocolate cakes, similar to the kind I had as a kid, but with an adult sensibility. So I added a pour of Irish cream liqueur to the filling and spiked the ganache icing with a tipple of whiskey, which effectively wiped out the possibility of making these kid-friendly. So please don’t ask if you can make them without either, because the bad news is that you can’t. But the good news is that you can have them all for yourself and you don’t have to share them with the kids.

CUPCAKES

1¼ cups (175 g) all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup (250 ml) strong brewed coffee

6 tablespoons (50 g) unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

½ cup (4 ounces/115 g) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, at room temperature

1¼ cups (275 g) packed light brown sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

FILLING

4 ounces (115 g) cream cheese, at room temperature

4 tablespoons (2 ounces/60 g) salted butter, at room temperature

6 tablespoons (75 g) powdered sugar

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Irish cream liqueur, such as Bailey’s Irish Cream

GLAZE

4 ounces (115 g) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped

¼ cup (60 ml) heavy cream

2 teaspoons light corn syrup or agave nectar

2 tablespoons (30 ml) whiskey

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners.

To make the cupcakes, into a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In a medium saucepan, heat the coffee until almost boiling. Remove from the heat and whisk in the cocoa until dissolved, then add the ½ cup (4 ounces/115 g) unsalted butter, stirring until melted. Whisk in the brown sugar and let cool until tepid. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla, then stir in the flour mixture, mixing just until incorporated. Don’t overmix.

Divide the batter among the cupcake liners and bake until the cupcakes feel just set in the center, 20 to 22 minutes. Let cool completely.

To make the filling, in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a food processor fitted with a metal blade, beat together the cream cheese, 4 tablespoons (2 ounces/60 g) salted butter, and powdered sugar until smooth. Beat in the Irish cream liqueur.

To fill the cupcakes, use a sharp knife to cut a 2-inch (5-cm) cone-shaped hole in the center of each cupcake. Remove the plug-like pieces. Trim off the tip of each plug to create a disk-shaped piece that is ⅓ inch (8 mm) thick. Save these disks for capping the filled cupcakes.

Divide the filling among the cupcakes, then gently press the caps into the filling. They won’t fit perfectly, which is fine, and some filling may bulge out.

To make the glaze, melt the chocolate with the cream and corn syrup or agave nectar in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring until smooth. Remove from the heat and stir in the whiskey.

Dip the tops of the filled cupcakes in the glaze, completely sealing the tops and generously coating them. Let cool, right side up, until the glaze is firm.

 

Persimmon Cake with Cream Cheese Icing

MAKES ONE 10-INCH (25-CM) BUNDT CAKE; 12 TO 16 SERVINGS

If you’re lucky enough to have a persimmon tree, you’re guaranteed to have plenty of gorgeous persimmons come autumn. Or, if you have a neighbor with one, you’re bound to find a bag of persimmons on your doorstep one fall day. The prolific trees are especially striking when the leaves drop and the traffic-stopping bright-orange orbs are still clinging to the bare, gnarled branches, silhouetted against a clear autumn sky.

Even if you don’t have a tree, or a neighboring one that you can benefit from, you might have seen persimmons at the market. Most likely they were Hachiya persimmons, the most common, elongated-shape variety. It’s the one I recommend for this cake. They must be squishy soft before they can be used. If you buy them rock-hard, leave them at room temperature until they feel like water balloons ready to burst. When ready, yank off the stem, slice each persimmon in half, then scoop out the jellylike pulp and purée it in a blender or food processor.

CAKE

¾ cup (120 g) dried currants

¼ cup (60 ml) brandy or whiskey

2 cups (280 g) all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

¾ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1⅔ cups (355 g) granulated sugar

¾ cup (6 ounces/170 g) unsalted butter, melted

1½ cups (375 ml) persimmon purée (about 3 Hachiya persimmons)

3 large eggs, at room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1½ cups (150g) walnuts or pecans, toasted and finely chopped

ICING

4 ounces (115 g) cream cheese

1 tablespoon salted butter, at room temperature

BOOK: Ready for Dessert
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