I love this cake.
It's a basic pound cake, so it's easy to make
but the simple addition of sliced apples
makes it just a little more special.
I've adapted the recipe just slightly by adding 
a layer of sliced apples in the centre
between the batter
and then again on top,
pressing both down in the centre
to keep them as flat as possible while baking. 
I also grind the almonds loosely in a mortar & pestle
to give the finished cake a bit of a rustic feel.
Once baked I dust with confectioners sugar before serving.
It's great warm from the oven with a scoop of ice cream
or toasted for breakfast on day two.

xo

 

In this post from the Herriott Grace Shop:
-Stoneware + Porcelain Side & Cake Plates
-Hand Carved Wooden Spoon


 

 

Everyday Apple & Almond Cake

Reprinted and slightly adapted from Bon Appétit's, Cardamom Pound Cake Recipe by Rebecca Jurkevich, August 2013.

Part of what gives this cake its light texture is beating the butter and sugar well, so don't rush this step.

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground cardamom
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 cup whole milk
1/2 cup crème fraîche
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
3/4 tsp. vanilla extract (I omit the extract & use the contents of 1 vanilla bean)
1 tsp. almond extract
1/4 cup loosely ground skin on almonds (I use a mortar & pestle for this)
2 cups all-purpose flour plus more for pan
2 small/medium green apples, cored and sliced (I added these)

 

Place a rack in middle of oven and preheat to 350°. Butter a 9x5x3” loaf pan; line bottom and long sides with a strip of parchment paper, leaving overhang. Butter parchment and dust pan with flour, tapping out any excess. (I often make two cakes from one recipe, 1 in a 6" springform and 1 small loaf. The recipe works well doubled as well, in this case 1-6" springform and 2-7.5"x2.5" straight sided loaf pans, similar to these ones).

Whisk baking powder, cardamom, salt, and 2 cups flour in a medium bowl; set aside. Whisk milk and ½ cup crème fraîche in a small bowl; set aside.

Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat sugar and ¾ cup butter in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating to blend between additions and occasionally scraping down sides and bottom of bowl with a spatula, then add vanilla and almond extracts.

Reduce speed to low and add dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with crème fraîche mixture in 2 additions, beginning and ending with dry ingredients; beat just until combined. Scrape a layer of batter into whichever prepared pans you've chosen, make place a single later or apple slices, arranged in a fan from outside to inside. Add another layer of batter (your pan should be approx. 2/3 full) place another layer of sliced apples. Sprinkle with almonds.

Bake cake, rotating halfway through, until golden brown and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 55–65 minutes. (Tent with foil if browning too quickly.)

Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cake cool in pan 15 minutes. Using parchment overhang, gently remove cake from pan and transfer to rack; let cool.

Slice cake and serve with Tea-Poached Plums and crème fraîche. (I like to serve warm with vanilla ice cream and skip the tea poached pears since I've add the apples.)

In my mind, one of the best uses of squash is cake.
And I love the one in the Gjelina cookbook.
It's made with kabocha, a dense, sweet winter squash.
You bake, squeeze and hang the puree overnight
which yields a beautifully textured batter and a near perfect crumb.
That's matched with Travis's velvety olive glaze (olive oil glaze?! amazing!)
and crunchy toasted pepitas and cocoa nibs.
Find the recipe below and the book in our shop.
N

 

In this post from the Herriott Grace Shop: 
- Stoneware + Porcelain Cake Plates
- Porcelain Mixing Bowls
- The Gjelina Cookbook

 

Kabocha Cake

Reprinted with permission from the book, Gjelina by Travis Lett. Chronicle Books, 2015.

CAKE
One 1-lb [455-g] piece of kabocha squash, seeded
Extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling, plus 1 cup plus 1 Tbsp [255 ml]
1 1/2 cups [180 g] all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp nutmeg
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1 1/3 cups [265 g] granulated sugar
3 eggs
8 oz [230 g] bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped 
3 Tbsp pepitas

OLIVE OIL GLAZE
1 1/4 cups [150 g] confectioners' sugar, sifted
2 Tbsp hot water, plus more as needed
3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

2 Tbsp crushed cacao nibs

Preheat the oven to 425˚F [220˚C]. On a baking sheet, drizzle the squash with olive oil, turn the piece cut side down, and cook until very soft and beginning to caramelize around the edges, 30 to 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. Scrape out the squash flesh and transfer to the food processor. Pulse until smooth.

In a large piece of cheesecloth, wrap the puréed squash in a tight bundle. Put in a colander set over a bowl and let drain at least 4 hours, or up to overnight. Squeeze by twisting the cheesecloth to remove any excess water. Unwrap the drained squash and measure out 1 cup [225 g]. (Transfer any leftovers to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, saving for another use).

Preheat over to 325˚F [165˚C]. Butter a 9-by-5-in [23-by-12-cm] loaf pan. (I used a 8-by-3 1/2-in straight sided loaf pan and 2 5-in savarin moulds.

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt into a large bowl. In a medium bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar, olive oil, squash purée, and eggs. Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture and pour in the squash mixture. Whisk until just combined. Stir the chocolate into the batter.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until browned on the top and a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean, 75-90 minutes. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Run a knife around the edges and invert the cake  from the pan and let cool on the rack for another 20 minutes. Transfer to a serving plate.

In a small, dry frying pan over medium heat, gently toast the pepitas just until fragrant and beginning to brown, about 3 to 5 minutes. Let cool.

To make the glaze: 
In a small bowl, whisk the confectioners' sugar with the 2 Tbsp hot water until you have a thick glaze. Add more confectioners' sugar or water as needed to create a smooth glaze with the viscosity of honey. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil, whisking constantly.

Pour the glaze over the cake, allowing it to drip over the sides. Sprinkle with the cacao nibs and pepitas and let the glaze set completely before serving, about 1 hour.

 

Probably one of the simplest desserts out there, yet so good. The texture is amazing and I love how it puffs and then falls. I made this one in a medium Workaday Casserole from the shop and it was the perfect size. Also, full disclosure, I almost ate the entire thing. 

 

Basic Clafoutis

Reprinted from Epicurious which originally reprinted it from the book Cooking From the Heart: My Favorite Lessons Learned Along the Way by John Besh. Copyright © 2013 John Besh. Published by Andrews McMeel Publishing.

1 cup whole milk
3 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or, my edit: the contents of 1 vanilla bean)
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 325˚F. In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla and butter until the sugar is dissolved. Add the flour and whisk until smooth. Pour the batter into a cast iron skillet or pie pan. 

Now add your favourite fruit or flavouring (see below). Bake until the clafoutis is beautiful puffed and golden. 35-40 minutes. Serve immediately.

Variations
Concord Grapes: Once the batter is in the skillet, scatter 2 cups slightly crushed Concrd or other black or red grapes on top.
Cherry Clafoutis: Scatter 2 cups of pitted cherries onto the batter once it's poured into pie pans.
Pear Clafoutis with Pear Eau de Vie: Core 1 ripe pear and cut into pieces. Pour the batter into the skillet and top with the pear pieces. Bake. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons eau de vie and serve immediately.
Milk Chocolate and Hazelnut Clafoutis: Melt 1 cup chopped milk chocolate in a large mixing bowl set above a simmering pot of water. Fold in the clafoutis batter until smooth and fully incorporated. Pour into a skillet or pie plate, sprinkle with 1/4 cup coarsely chopped hazelnuts, and bake.

 

    Hi! We're updating the Herriott Grace Shop today at 3pm EST! So many new and beautiful things. xo, N