Cookie cake

Mona didn't think a cake would survive the heat in Chino Hills, so Jam got a giant chocolate chip cookie instead. The recipe? Nestle Tollhouse, of course!

Pretty please with cherries on top

Cherry-Cornmeal Upside-Down Cake

recipe from epicurious.com

INGREDIENTS

• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, divided
• 1/4 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
• 3 cups whole pitted fresh Bing cherries or other dark sweet cherries (about 21 ounces whole unpitted cherries)
• 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup yellow cornmeal (preferably stone-ground medium grind)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs, separated
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

PREPARATION

Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 350°F. Combine 1/4 cup butter with brown sugar and vinegar in 10- to 11-inch ovenproof skillet with 2-inch-high sides. Stir over medium heat until butter melts and sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes. Increase heat to high; add cherries and bring to boil. Remove from heat.

Whisk flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat 1/2 cup butter in large bowl. Add sugar; beat until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in egg yolks and vanilla. Add flour mixture alternately with milk in 2 additions each, beating just until blended and occasionally scraping down sides of bowl. Using clean dry beaters, beat egg whites in another medium bowl until foamy. Add cream of tartar and beat until whites are stiff but not dry. Using rubber spatula, fold 1/4 of whites into batter to lighten slightly. Fold in remaining whites in 3 additions (batter will be thick). Spoon batter over cherries in skillet, then spread evenly with offset spatula to cover cherries.

Bake cake until top is golden brown and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool in skillet on rack 5 minutes. Run spatula around edges of cake to loosen. Place large serving platter upside down atop skillet. Using pot holders or oven mitts, firmly hold platter and skillet together and invert. Leave skillet atop cake 5 minutes. Remove skillet. If necessary, rearrange any cherries that may have become dislodged. Let cake cool at least 45 minutes. Cut cake into wedges and serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

An inside look

Lemon Meringue Pie

A blonde moment

Blondies have become the Get Well Soon treat for the Jacobsen Lab.

Short stacked

Extra buttermilk + last of my all purpose flour = 1/2 stack of buttermilk pancakes.

recipe: Martha Stewart's Best Buttermilk Pancakes

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 3 cups buttermilk
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus 1/2 teaspoon for griddle

PREPARATION

1. Heat griddle to 375 degrees. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar in a medium bowl. Add eggs, buttermilk, and 4 tablespoons butter; whisk to combine. Batter should have small to medium lumps.
2. Heat oven to 175 degrees. Test griddle by sprinkling a few drops of water on it. If water bounces and spatters off griddle, it is hot enough. Using a pastry brush, brush remaining 1/2 teaspoon of butter or reserved bacon fat onto griddle. Wipe off excess.
3. Using a 4-ounce ladle, about 1/2 cup, pour pancake batter, in pools 2 inches away from one other. When pancakes have bubbles on top and are slightly dry around edges, about 2 1/2 minutes, flip over. Cook until golden on bottom, about 1 minute.
4. Repeat with remaining batter, keeping finished pancakes on a heatproof plate in oven. Serve warm.

Red velvet rejects

These cupcakes came out a little burnt from yesterday's baking spree. At first I was just going to eat them all myself- not wanting to subject anyone to my baking-gone-wrong, but then I got an idea. Since it was just the bottoms that were a bit toasty, I trimmed them, cut the remaining cupcake in half and filled the slices with left over cream cheese frosting. The result: Red Velvet Reject Sandwiches...I even made sandwiches with the toasty ends, for those who don't mind a bit of burnt flavor.

My cupcakes runeth over

To celebrate Jam's HS graduation, I made mini cupcakes (Chocolate and Red Velvet, both with cream cheese frosting). I thought they would be cute, bite-sized, easy to serve and fun to eat. What I didn't think about was how many each recipe would make or how to transport ~200 baby cupcakes.

Chocolate Cupcakes

recipe adapted from bon appetit's June 2010 Chocolate-Raspberry Layer Cake

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup water
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 3 large eggs

PREPARATION

Position racks in top and bottom third of oven; preheat to 350°F. Line baking pans with cupcake cups. Sift flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into large bowl; whisk to blend and form well in center. Whisk 1 cup water, buttermilk, oil, and eggs in medium bowl to blend. Pour wet ingredients into well in dry ingredients; whisk just to blend. Divide batter between prepared pans.

Bake cupcakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Cool completely in pans on cooling racks. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover cakes in pans and let stand at room temperature.

*note: I found this recipe very easy, with great results. Next time, I might try making the original cake recipe.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

From Paula Deen's Grandmother Paul's Red Velvet Cake recipe:

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups sugar
  
• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 2 ounces red food coloring
• 2 1/2 cups cake flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
  
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon vinegar

PREPARATION

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a mixing bowl, cream the sugar and butter, beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and mix well after each addition. Mix cocoa and food coloring together and then add to sugar mixture; mix well. Sift together flour and salt. Add flour mixture to the creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk. Blend in vanilla. In a small bowl, combine baking soda and vinegar and add to mixture. Pour batter into lined cupcake pan. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from heat and cool completely before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb (16 oz) cream cheese
• 2 sticks (1cup) unsalted butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted

PREPARATION

In a medium bowl, cream cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add vanilla extract, blend well. Slowly add powdered sugar at low speed. Blend well. Frost cupcakes.