gingerbread layer cake with candied kumquats

Management has ordered a weekly fruit box delivered to my office, and so on Tuesdays around 10am the office kitchen is usually filled with a happy buzz of conversation as my coworkers pick out a piece of fruit to snack on.  This week the usual box arrived, but half of the office was out sick, on vacation, or traveling for an event, plus Tuesday was an official snow day (no work!).  When I checked on Wednesday, the fruit box was still 3/4 full, and there were two pints of kumquats looking for a new home.  I took one of the pints and started searching the interwebs for likely recipes.  Anything gingerbread appeals to my Christmas sensibilities, so this one was bookmarked straight away.  It was a little involved (holiday recipes almost always are, as a rule), but so worth it!

Gingerbread Layer Cake with Candied Kumquats (cake modified from The Smitten Kitchen blog, candied fruit from Bon Appétit recipe)

INGREDIENTS

Cake

1 cup strong coffee

1 cup dark molasses (not blackstrap)


1/2 teaspoon baking soda


2 cups all-purpose flour


1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder


2 tablespoons ground ginger


1 teaspoon ground cinnamon


1/4 teaspoon ground cloves


1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

3 large eggs


1 cup dark brown sugar


1 cup granulated sugar


3/4 cup vegetable oil

Candied Kumquats

1 cup water

3/4 cup honey

1/4 cup sugar

15 whole cloves

2 cinnamon sticks, broken in half

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 dry pint (~18 ounces) kumquats, cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds, seeded

Frosting

2 jars pre-prepared cream cheese frosting from the store, or your favorite recipe

DIRECTIONS

Cake

Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously butter two 9” cake pans and dust with flour, knocking out excess.

Bring coffee and molasses to a boil in a large saucepan and remove from heat. Whisk in baking soda, then cool to room temperature.

Sift together flour, baking powder, and spices in a large bowl. Whisk together eggs and sugars. Whisk in oil, then molasses mixture. Add to flour mixture and whisk until just combined.

Pour batter into pans (splitting amount 50/50 between the pans).  Bake in middle of oven until a toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs adhering, about 30 minutes. Cool cake in pans on racks for 5 minutes. Turn out onto racks and cool completely.

Candied Kumquats

Bring first 5 ingredients to boil in heavy large skillet, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add vanilla extract. Add kumquats; reduce heat to medium and simmer until almost tender, stirring often, about 6 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer kumquats to plate. Boil syrup until reduced to 2/3 cup, stirring often, about 8 minutes. Cool syrup.

Build-A-Cake

Chop enough candied kumquats to measure 1/3 cup; mix in small bowl with 1 tablespoon kumquat syrup. Place 1 cake layer on platter. Spread 3/4 cup frosting over. Dot with chopped-kumquat mixture. Top with second cake layer. Spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake. Arrange enough sliced kumquats in single layer atop cake just to cover. Chill 1 hour. Drizzle some kumquat syrup over kumquats atop cake. Serve cake cold or at room temperature.

This cake is unbelievably good at first bite.  It looks impressive, so expectations are high... and it blows those out of the water.  Like, dang.  If I made it again I might cut down on the cream cheese frosting a little bit, but then again I'm not a frosting person.  It's very rich, nicely spicy, and perfect with a cup of coffee.  Or by itself.  Straight from the fridge at midnight.  And any other time.  YUM.

Recommended for: anyone looking for a cake with a kick of spice and citrus, a perfect holiday treat that will make the whole house smell like Christmas, and a deliciously addictive dessert to end a special meal.

Interested in another food-related posts?  Check out Beth Fish Reads' Weekend Cooking!

barmbrack

There’s a constant clatter in my head these days, and when I slow down long enough to listen to it, it sounds like this: “I’m going to Ireland!  Oh my goodness, I’m going to Ireland!  I’m not ready!  I’m ready!!!  I’m nervous!  IRELAND!” (repeat).  In preparation I’ve been doing the usual – reading guidebooks, purchasing a new rain jacket, confirming reservations and so on… but I’ve also been reading Irish fiction and making Irish recipes.

One of those recent reads was Marian Keyes’ Saved by Cake.  Loved that book!  Full of humor and deliciousness.  For my latest Irish baking experiment I’ve made a traditional cake called Barmbrack, modified slightly from the recipe in Keyes’ cookbook (and leaving out her hilarious commentary!).  It’s usually served at Halloween and filled with surprises (a ring to signify you’ll be getting married, a penny to symbolize wealth – you get the idea), like a King Cake.  I made the cake but omitted the surprises, as I’m sure I’ll have plenty of those while traveling without wishing for more!  Oh and yes, I leave in 4 days!  So excited!

Barmbrack

INGREDIENTS

3/4 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup golden raisins

1/2 cup raisins

zest of one (medium) orange

2 cups black tea, cooled

1 1/4 cups self-rising flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 egg, beaten

DIRECTIONS

Place the sugar, raisins, orange zest and tea in a bowl.  Cover and leave to soak overnight (or for at least 5 hours, like I did the first time I made this recipe!).

Grease a 1-lb. loaf pan and line with parchment paper, set aside.  Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Sift the flour and baking soda into the tea/sugar/fruit mixture, then add the beaten egg and stir well.  Pour batter into the pan and bake for 1 hour 35 minutes (do a toothpick test from one hour on just to check).

Let stand in pan for 5 minutes, and then turn out onto a wire rack.  Cut into slices and serve with butter.  Serves 8-10.

OH DEAR GOODNESS THIS IS HEAVEN.  Sorry.  I didn’t intend to write that out in all caps, but the happiness that is in my mouth right now begged for an expression.  You can see the list of ingredients above – it’s nothing fancy, strange or exotic.  And there’s no magic in the preparation, either, except letting the fruit marinate in the sugar and tea.  And yet.  The two slices of cake that I just ate, slathered in butter, were sinfully delicious and absolutely lovely.  Make this cake for how it smells while baking.  Eat it for pure pleasure!  Finish it in one sitting because you won’t be able to help yourself!

Note: This cake is best just out of the oven, but reheats perfectly well in the oven 2-3 days later, too.  Probably you can freeze it, too – if you can resist eating it!

Recommended for: a moist, crowd-pleasing sweetbread, a welcome addition to autumn and holiday baking (it just smells right for those seasons!), and for the days when you just need to eat something comfortable and fragrant with your coffee/tea.  

Interested in other food-related posts?  Check out Beth Fish Reads' Weekend Cooking!

saved by cake

Over a year ago I saw a fellow blogger’s review of Marian Keyes’ Saved by Cake, and I knew I wanted to read it posthaste.  After all, the cookbook featured baked goods (my purview!) exclusively, and the author’s voice was straight-up hilarious in the short excerpt.  However, I couldn’t find a listing for the US release date, and when I looked into purchasing an international edition, I realized I wouldn’t do well with the metric weights and measurements. 

So I put it on my wishlist and waited.  And waited.  And then!  It was finally available in April.  I bought it immediately and it sat on my bookshelf for far too many months.  A few weeks back I finally picked Saved by Cake up again, and here we are today, with cake.  All is right with the world.

Beloved novelist Marian Keyes tackles the kitchen with a new cookbook featuring desserts that are both simple and delicious, with step-by-step instructions and stunning photography.

“To be perfectly blunt about it, my choice sometimes is: I can kill myself, or I can make a dozen cupcakes. Right so, I’ll do the cupcakes and I can kill myself tomorrow.”

In Saved by Cake, Marian Keyes gives a candid account of her recent battle with depression and her discovery that learning to bake was exactly what she needed to regain her joie de vivre. A complete novice in the kitchen, Marian decided to bake a cake for a friend. From the moment she began measuring, she realized that baking was the best way for her to get through each day.

Refreshingly honest and wickedly funny, Saved by Cake shines with Keyes’ inimitable charm and is chockfull of sound advice. Written in Marian’s signature style, her take on baking is honest, witty, extremely accessible and full of fun. Her simple and delicious recipes—from Consistently Reliable Cupcakes to Fridge-set Honeycomb Cheesecake—are guaranteed to tempt even the most jaded palate.

I’ve never read Marian Keyes’ novels, but based on the dark humor and honesty in her cookbook, I’d say she’s got a flair for the descriptive, a thing for cookie cutters, and is also dealing with a really troubling bout of depression.  Oh, and she’s not-so-mildly obsessed with cake!  This cookbook struck a personal chord for me – I too have baked myself through rough spots.  It’s rather special to see someone else, quite accomplished at writing, struggle and come through with the same sort of ‘therapy.’

As for the recipes themselves, Keyes has a bit of a fussy bent, so many include unique flavor combinations, unexpected ingredients, and long-ish prep times.  Keyes has a good knack for describing baking tips that you may not have thought of before, and I will incorporate several of these into my usual routines.  My favorite section of the cookbook was the one on ‘Classics,’ though I look forward to also trying recipes from the ‘Fruit and Veg’ section as well.  The photo below is from my attempt at the Victoria Sandwich, which I’d make again (it was a snap!) but vary the filling.  My favorite THINGS about the cookbook at large were the introductory paragraphs and the beautiful photos accompanying each recipe.  This is where Keyes shines – in her conversational writing style and self-deprecating humor.

In all, Keyes’ book is fun, funny and personal, with drool-worthy photography and delicious recipes.  It’ll stay on my shelf, and come down for many rereads in the future. 

Recommended for: Marian Keyes fans, those who would appreciate a funny, slightly irreverent take on food and mental health, and anyone with a ken for cake.  Especially making it (and devouring it afterward!).

Interested in other food-related posts?  Check out Beth Fish Reads' Weekend Cooking!