Chewy Chunky Blondies

I haven't updated in a while, but I have a good reason. Being in my first trimester (I'm at the tail end) I haven't been in the mood for most foods.

So that means, no exciting recipes. But, I'm slowly starting to feel better (thank GOD).

I had a big craving for some blondies the other night, so I took out my Dorie baking book and found the perfect recipe.

I modified only slightly, and they turned out just how I imagined, amazing.

I took them to work, and I left with none. I'm so grateful I have friends that enjoy sweets that I bring, there is no way I'd be able to (or might I say, NEED TO) finish a whole pan of these.

Chewy Chunky Blondies

(Baking from my home to yours, Dorie Greenspan)

2 C. flour

3/4 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

2 sticks unsalted butter softened

1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar

1/2 C. sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

6 oz. bittersweet chocolate chips

1 cup chopped nuts ( I used a combo of walnut and pecan)

1 cup sweetened shredded coconut

preheat oven to 325 and grease a 9x13 baking pan.

whisk flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda.

Beat butter on medium speed (using either a stand mixer or hand held) until creamy and smooth. Add both sugars and beat for about 3 minutes until well combined. Add eggs individually, beating for one minute after each addition, then add the vanilla.

Reduce the speed to low, and slowly add flour mixture until well combined. Fold in the chocolate, nuts and coconut. Scrape batter into pan and let cook for about 40 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Transfer to a rack to cool, and then cut into squares.

Daring Bakers: Opera Cake

Key Lime and Strawberry Opera Cake

What a fabulous recipe, but so intimidating!

I have never heard of an Opera or a Clichy cake until the announcement of this month's DB challenge. Lis, Ivonne, Fran and Shea our hosts this month gave this description:

"For those of you that don't know about this cake, it's an extremely elegant and polished French dessert that is believed to have been created around the beginning of the 1900s. Many people credit a gentleman by the name of Louis Clichy with inventing the cake and that's why it's sometimes referred to as Clichy Cake. .......................................................................................

........a cake that is made up (usually) of five components: a joconde (a cake layer), a syrup (to wet the joconde), a buttercream (to fill some of the layers), a ganache or mousse (to top the final cake layer) and a glaze (to cover the final layer of cake or of ganache/mousse)."

After reading this description (and seeing photos of this eloquent cake) all I could think was "this is definitely going to be a challenge".

This month the challenge is being dedicated to Barbara from winos and foodies, who hosted a blogging event called A Taste of Yellow, which was an event to show support to LiveSTRONG day May 13th this year).

To coinside with the spring theme and LiveSTRONG Day, our hosts asked us to use light colors and flavors in the opera cake. Traditionally, an opera cake is flavored with dark chocolate and coffee liquors. I thought a while about what flavors I would use and I came up with strawberry and key lime, and a light rum. I ended up using the buttercream recipe from Dorie's Perfect Party cake. The recipe is a combination of Dorie Greenspan’s Paris Sweets and Tish Boyle’s and Timothy and Moriarty’s Chocolate Passion

This was the order of my flavors: First the Jaconde

Buttercream----- Strawberry (1 cup pureed strawberries added)

Syrup----- Key Lime (about 1/4 cup)

Mousse/Ganache----- Light Rum (2 Tbs.)

For the Glaze----- Key Lime (I added about 1/3 cup)

This was definitely a very involved recipe. I wouldn't suggest doing this in one day since the setting time can take some time. I actually made the jaconde a day before, and made the other components the next day. I'm so glad I had the opportunity to learn about and bake this cake, it was fun and fantastically delicious. Thank you Lis, Ivonne, Fran and Shea!

Don't forget to check out the other DB'ers concoctions here

You can view the recipe for the Daring Bakers’ Opéra Cake here on Ivonne's blog.

Banana Bundt Cake, Dorie Style

Watching the bunch of banana's Chad picked up from the grocery turn from a nice bright yellow, to a brownish black I decided it was time to either toss 'em or bake with 'em.

I wanted to do something different than just a plain old banana bread. And I didn't want to do muffins. So I started to search through the foodie blogosphere and decided on this Dorie Greenspan recipe from The Biscuit Pusher's blog (thanks!)

I was excited to use this recipe because it meant I was able to use the bundt pan that I bought, oh, 5 months ago. The pan was dirt cheap at Marshall's and although I didn't need one, how could I turn down a $4 peice of baking equipment? Plus, it is the cutest thing, and I just wanted it.

The cake came out omg, moist. So much better than I imagined! I decided to add finely chopped pecans to mine as well as an orange glaze. The cake on it's own was fabulous, but I liked the tanginess of the orange glaze, and the crunch of the pecans. It's going to be tricky keeping away from this cake before bed.

Banana Bundt Cake

(from Dorie Greenspan "From My Home to Yours" via The Biscuit Pusher)

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter at room temp

2 cups sugar

2 tsps pure vanilla extract

2 large eggs, preferably at room temp

About 4 very ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups)

1 cup sour cream or plain yogurt

Preheat the oven to 350.

Generously butter a 9 to 10 inch (12-cup) Bundt pan. Whisk the flour, baking soda and salt together.Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter until creamy. Add the sugar and beat at medium speed until pale and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla, then add the eggs, one at a time, beating for about 1 minute after each egg goes in. Reduce the mixer speed to low and mix in the bananas. Finally, mix in half the dry ingredients (the mixture will curdle -- just keep mixing), all the sour cream and then the rest of the flour mixture.

Scrape the batter into the pan, rap the pan on the counter to de-bubble the batter and smooth the top.Bake for 65 to 75 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted deep into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Check the cake after about 30 minutes, if it is browning too quickly, cover it loosely with a foil tent. Transfer the cake to a rack and cool for 10 minutes before unmolding on the rack to cool to room temp.If you have the time, wrap the cooled cake in plastic and allow it to sit on the counter overnight before serving -- it's better the second day.

For the Glaze:

1 1/2 C. powder sugar

1 Tbs. melted butter

1 Tbs. milk

2-3 Tbs. fresh squeezed orange juice

Whisk ingredients together until smooth and using a spoon drizzle over cooled cake.