running with tweezers

glazed over

I don't bake much, as I am sure you have noticed here at the blog. I make the occasional cupcake or chocolate cake but that's about it. It takes a very special recipe to get me to put my pastry chef hat on.

I have been eating so many amazing Rio Star  grapefruits for breakfast in the past month or so, I got inspired to hunt down a recipe to use them in a dessert to take to a dinner party. While I tend to think that all bundt cakes are created equal - and by equal I mean average - this one has a special twist to it. While the zest from the grapefruit and a touch of almond extract give this cake nice flavor (and the smell of all the citrus is really divine), for this cake...it's all about the glaze. It's a two part process that lets the cake soak in a grapefruit simple syrup and then gets topped with a sugary grapefruit glaze. Sweet without being cloying, those two steps set this cake apart from others I've had and keeps it from getting dry for over a week, if stored properly. For my version, I used equal parts almond and vanilla extract and substituted sour cream for the yogurt.

Pink Grapefruit Cake - recipe adapted from one found here at Cuisinart

•     3 cups all-purpose flour
•     1/2 teaspoon baking soda
•     1/2 teaspoon salt
•     Zest of 1 medium grapefruit, finely chopped
•     3 cups granulated sugar, divided
•     1 cup unsalted butter, cut in 1-inch pieces, at room temperature
•     6 large eggs
•     1 cup plain non-fat yogurt or sour cream
•     1 teaspoon almond extract
•     1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
•     3/4 cup fresh pink grapefruit juice, divided
•     2 cups powdered sugar

   1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a 10-inch tube or Bundt pan. Place the flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl and stir to blend; reserve.

   2. Place the zest, 2-1/2 cups of the granulated sugar, and butter in a large bowl. Using a Cuisinart® Hand Mixer, mix the sugar, butter and zest on low speed for 30 seconds to combine. Mix using medium speed until creamed and light - about 3-1/2 to 4 minutes. Scrape the bowl. Add the eggs, yogurt, and extracts, mix on low speed until well blended, about 1 minute. Scrape the bowl. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed for 30 seconds. Scrape the bowl and mix until completely blended, about 30 to 40 seconds. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake in the preheated 350°F oven until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 65 to 75 minutes. While the cake is in the oven, prepare the syrup by combining 1/2 cup of the grapefruit juice with the remaining 1/2 cup of granulated sugar in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved, 3 to 5 minutes; keep warm and reserve.

   3. Cool cake in pan on a rack for 5 minutes, then turn out onto the rack; wash and dry the pan. Prick the top and sides of the cake with a cake tester and return it to the pan. Prick the bottom of the cake with the cake tester. Pour the warm grapefruit syrup slowly over the cake allowing the cake to absorb the syrup. When the syrup has been absorbed, turn the cake out onto the rack to cool completely.

   4. Combine the powdered sugar with the remaining grapefruit juice and stir until blended and smooth. Drizzle the pink grapefruit glaze over the cooled cake. Let rest 30 minutes before cutting

Editor's Note: See this cool yellow lace cake plate? I worked with its designer on a photo shoot a few weeks ago. She makes clear serving pieces that you can exchange the papers in the inside to make it the most versatile platter you'll ever own. Visit her website at EDOBA.

the sweet silence

“Silence is the universal refuge, the sequel to all dull discourses and all foolish acts, a balm to our every chagrin, as welcome after satiety as after disappointment” - Henry David Thoreau

Well hello there, pumpkin! Miss me?

As a wise man once said - Thoreau, in this case - sometimes you just need to be quiet. It isn't necessarily the sign of pain or anguish or turmoil. It certainly wasn't in this case. I just needed...a break. Between all that has been going on with The Big C, trying to get through the ups and downs of freelance life, and trying to wrap my head around some personal issues in my life...there just wasn't room in my little walnut-sized brain for a whole lot more. On the upside, I have been running like a fiend and training for my next half-marathon next month. I'm inspired about work and blogging again. Oh yeah, I have a little sweetness in my life for the first time in a long while - and I ain't just talking about what you see in this post.

All of that having been said,  I didn't expect to be away this long - over a month?!? Will you ever forgive me?

Since I had to bring something seriously yummy and delicious to sweeten the deal on my first post back, I thought these cupcakes might do the trick. We're in the beautiful beginnings of fall here in Atlanta...and it feels good to be cooking and baking with some autumn flavors. As much as I may hate to admit it, the base of these cupcakes are from a Martha Stewart recipe - is there anything this woman can't do, dammit? I adjusted the spices a bit as I made my mixture - I definitely felt like the pumpkin pie-inspired spices could have been amped up. I suggest you taste as you go and don't be afraid to add more. Top these babies with your favorite cream cheese frosting - a great recipe can be found here at Simply Recipes.

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting - makes 18 - recipe originally found here.

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper liners; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together, brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter, and eggs. Add dry ingredients, and whisk until smooth. Whisk in pumpkin puree.
3. Divide batter evenly among liners, filling each about halfway. Bake until tops spring back when touched, and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating pans once if needed. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely.

having your cake and boozing it, too

"I can't wait until you get over this healthy food phase of yours...and start blogging about things like bacon fried in duck fat covered in chocolate again."

Those words were uttered to me in an IM last week by a friend and reader of this blog. The words "healthy food phase" came across loud and clear - I could hear the hiss of those three little words all the way over the Internet. I get it. Sheesh!

Yes... I do tend to focus on healthier things here on the 'ol blog. My natural tendencies and cravings lean towards veggies - along with cheese and bread but that's not important here.  Especially when cooking for one, I tend to do simple dishes, salads and easy pasta dishes.

That having been said, every once in a while, I get the hankering for something sweet. While I think the whole cupcake thing is a little overdone at this point, I do make a mean one. I have seen friends of mine eat six or eight in one sitting. In the car. Right after I hand them the box. My specialty is chocolate cake with a whipped, airy vanilla frosting. They're pretty spectacular, if I do say so myself.

For Top Chef Wednesday this past week, a group of us got together to cook and watch the show. The theme? Belated Cinco de Mayo. It was the perfect occasion to surprise the group with cupcakes, something I hadn't done in a long time . I wish I could take the credit for this one...but I can't. I blended two different recipes together to make the cakes - a vegan cake recipe and a decadent cream cheese frosting to top it.  The light cake had nice tangy taste...but for me, the cake is really just the vehicle for the frosting and this recipe did not disappoint - creamy, rich and not too sweet. 

Margarita Cupcakes - recipe originally found here:

1/4 cup lime juice
1 1/2 tsp lime zest (1 lime)
1 cup soy milk (plain or vanilla)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp tequila
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup sugar
1 1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

- Preheat oven to 350F. Fill a 12-cup muffin tin with liners.
In a large bowl, mix together lime juice, lime zest, soy milk, oil , tequila, vanilla and sugar.
In a small bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add to lime mixture and stir until just combined. Divide evenly into muffin tins.
Bake for 20-24 minutes, until a tester comes out clean and the cakes spring back when lightly pressed.
Turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

Key Lime Cream Cheese Frosting - Makes about 3 cups icing - recipe originally found here:

•     8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
•     1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
•     2 tablespoons key lime juice
•     1 teaspoon key lime zest or lemon zest
•     4-5 cups confectioner's sugar

-In large bowl, cream butter, cream cheese, juice and zest with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add 4 cups confectioner's sugar, one cup at a time; continue beating until light and fluffy. If icing is too thin add additional confectioner's sugar 1 tablespoon at a time

tropical tiramisu

I am so not a chocolate eater. I think we've been over this before. I am a total sucker for fruity and cakey desserts. Creme brulee, too. Key Lime Pie...and...oh goodness...pineapple upside down cake. Drool.

The upcoming RootSource Challenge - hosted by CookThink - was to use pineapple in your recipe. Rather than try to use it in some sort of rice dish - or in the typical upside down dessert - I wanted to do something a little different. This just so happened to coincide with a shoot that I was working on for a client. There were some recipes that they were developing to post on their website lying around - I never talk about clients on this blog...but when you're there, you're family, ok?

The recipe for Pineapple Tiramisu caught my eye. Talk about a dream dessert - all of the creamy, custardy, Mascarpone-y goodness of tiramisu with a blast of fruit flavor! I was sold.  It is everything I had hoped it would be - creamy and sweet but not overly so...and punctuated by juicy pineapple taste and texture.

I changed the recipe up my making them in individual spring-form pans - 4 small pans will be filled by this recipe. This also helped in keeping its shape. If you don't care about that, make it in a trifle bowl or individual dishes. I also soaked the ladyfingers in an equal mixture of Malibu Pineapple Rum and pineapple juice. Instead of covering the top of my forms with the berries, I wanted to show off the ring on the top. So, instead, I garnished with a few blackberries and powdered sugar. Any mixture of fruit to garnish - as well as mint or basil - would be tasty and beautiful. When making this recipe, beat the crap out of the eggs. Seriously. Until clear, at least. You will regret it if you don't. I also recommend refrigerating this for longer than an hour - several hours to overnight would be best.

Pineapple Tiramisu - recipe originally found here - serves 4

• ½ cup pasteurized egg yolks
• 1 lb Mascarpone cheese
• 6 tbsp sugar
• 1 pineapple
• 1 box of lady fingers
• 4 strawberries, cut half
• ¼ pint wild berries

-  WHISK egg yolks and 4 tbsp sugar together in a mixing bowl. When the color turns clear, add mascarpone cheese and stir until consistency is smooth.

   -  REMOVE skin from pineapple with a large knife. Cut in half and remove core. Cut a 1 inch slice from the bottom. Place in a food processor with 2 tbsp sugar. Pulse until fruit is finely chopped and has released juice.
   -  DRAIN contents into a strainer and preserve juice. Discard chopped pineapple in strainer.
   -  CUT remaining pineapple into 1 inch slices.

LAYERING THE TIRAMISU:

   - SOAK 10 lady fingers in pineapple juice until liquid is absorbed. Do not allow them to sit too long.
   -  PLACE a layer of lady fingers in a round mold. Cover lady fingers with slices of pineapple.
   - ADD a thick layer of mascarpone cream. Repeat process.
   - GARNISH by alternating lady finders, remaining pineapple slices, sliced strawberries and wild berries.
   - REFRIGERATE for a minimum of 1 hour before serving.