Browsing Tag

cake

Cranberry Upside Down Cake

December 14, 2017
Cranberry Upside Down Cake from Farm to Table Desserts | Get the recipe at FakeFoodFree.com

I welcome the tartness and I shy away from adding too much sugar. 

That’s my relationship with cranberries. 

I love cranberry. It easily ranks in the top 5 for my favorite holiday flavors. Or I guess I should say foods, with it being an actual fruit and all. 

It’s why this cranberry upside down cake immediately got my attention.

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Pomegranate Lemon Cake

December 23, 2015

Pomegranate Lemon Cake Recipe | Fake Food Free

I have really been missing the big lemon tree that was in the backyard of our rental house in the Bay Area. I took for granted how easy it was to walk out and grab a few almost any time of year.

Our potted Meyer lemon tree made the move and it’s still hanging on, but it didn’t produce any lemons this year.

I was running the other day and I noticed that towards the end of the public running path, a large lemon tree hangs over a backyard fence. I’d been eyeing it for weeks and a few days ago I finally got the courage to grab a few.

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Gingerbread Cakes with Orange Buttercream Frosting

December 18, 2015

Gingerbread Cakes with Orange Buttercream Frosting Recipe | Fake Food Free

I’ve had two things sitting in my kitchen that I’ve been dying to use for almost a year now. Some shallow, 3 1/2-inch wide snowflake baking cups from IKEA and a Lebkuchen spice mix I got at a Christmas Market in Berlin.

The Lebkuchen spices are similar to those in gingerbread here in the States and I’d already made some ginger cookies. Not to mention, cookies weren’t going to help me use those baking cups. So I switched gears and baked up gingerbread cakes. They were perfect for both the cups and spices.

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Whole Wheat Banana Snack Cake with Chocolate Guinness Frosting Recipe

April 8, 2013

When presented with an open beer (minus the ¼ cup you used in a recipe), most people would drink it. It’s a logical solution and one I’ve implemented myself numerous times.  But when I made the Guinness Braised Kale with potatoes and poached egg for St. Patrick’s Day, I found myself debating whether to drink half  a beer or make a cake.

I chose cake.
 

This isn’t your super sweet, rich, decadent dessert cake, which is why I decided to add snack cake to the name. It’s filling with the fresh flavor of banana, and the frosting will curb any craving for chocolate. Maybe even a hankering for dark beer. If you don’t mind a splash of booze and hearty whole grains for breakfast or as a snack, then I suggest you forgo finishing off your next pint, too.

 

Whole Wheat Banana Snack Cake with Chocolate Guinness Frosting

Makes: 9 servings

Ingredients

¾ cup mascavo (muscovado) sugar
¼ cup olive oil*
2 eggs
1 overripe banana, mashed
1 tbsp Guinness beer
1 cup whole wheat flour
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
 
Frosting
1 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1 ½ cups confectioner’s (powdered) sugar
1 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tbsp Guinness beer
 
Prep

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease an 8×8 inch square pan.

Add the sugar, oil and egg to the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium for about 1 minute. Add in the banana and mix on medium to medium-high 1 minute more. Mix in the 1 tablespoon of Guinness.
 
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. With the mixer on low, gradually add the dry ingredients. Mix just until combined, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.
 
Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool.
 
To prepare the frosting, add the butter and powdered sugar to the bowl of the mixer fitted with the whisk or paddle attachment. Beat together the butter and powder sugar on medium and then medium-high until combined, and almost smooth, about 1 minute. Add the cocoa and 1 tablespoon of the Guinness. Mix on medium-high until the frosting is smooth, about 90 seconds. Mix in the additional 1 tablespoon of Guinness, based on your desired consistency for the frosting. The full 2 tablespoons was perfect for me.
 
Frost the cooled cake, cut into 9 pieces and serve. 
 
*Be sure to use regular olive oil with this recipe because it has a more mild flavor. Virgin olive oils may add too much of an olive-like taste. 
 
 
 
Thanks for reading! All images and content are the property of Fake Food Free unless otherwise stated. Please do not republish full recipes and images without written permission. What is okay? Feel free to Pin images, share links to my posts or share the photo in a round up post with the title of this recipe and a link back to the post. Confused about copyright and food blogs? Here is some helpful information on Recipe Attribution. If you want to use a photo or full recipe, just ask. I’m sure we can work something out. 

Summery Cake with Lemongrass Syrup Recipe from Home Made Summer

March 18, 2013
Summery Cake with Lemongrass Syrup Recipe from Home Made Summer | Fake Food Free
 

My first encounter with Yvette van Boven’s creative recipes, inspiring ideas and whimsical sketches was with the cookbook, Home Made. Among a bookcase of cookbooks with bright white photos encouraging you to make cooking cheerful and smiley, that book was a welcomed relief.

It was filled with dark shadowed food photos and recipes that made me want to lock up in the kitchen and get cooking. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy cheer, balloons and bright flowers as much as the next person, but that isn’t how I cook. I like the rustic, the homemade, the old fashioned, and often, the imperfection.

I’m not sure how to explain it. As a home cook, that book spoke to me.

I received Home Made Winter last year. It was like a wonderful dark, snowy night by the fire in the form of a cookbook. The author explains that the recipes in that book represented much of her childhood growing up with the comfort foods of Ireland. 

 


I knew Home Made Summer was right around the corner, and I could hardly wait. This book, Yvette explains, is about her current life in Amsterdam and Paris with summers spent in Provence. It’s as summery as one can get while still holding on to that rustic charm. Fresh ingredients hit by natural sunlight that are comforting and earthly like spreading your toes through soft blades of grass on a summer lawn.

Cantaloupe Soup with Goat Cheese and Basil Oil, Scallop Ceviche and Jalapeno & Apple Sauce for your summer grilled goodies were a few of the things that caught my attention. And the garden photos! I enjoy how some recipes are paired with shots of gorgeous green gardens as opposed to only a completed dish.

As the author explains early on, the recipes in this book are true to summer. They don’t take a lot of work to prepare (ideal for summer heat) and they incorporate fresh, seasonal ingredients. It’s all about simplicity. 

Summery Cake with Lemongrass Syrup Recipe from Home Made Summer | Fake Food Free

I would say simplicity is the tone in her other books too, but if you are looking for more complex recipes or techniques you may have never tried before – Home Made or Home Made Winter would be a good choice. If simple, fresh, summer dishes are what you are after, this is your book.

Or you can be like me and use all three. 


Now that we are in California, I have access to many more diverse ingredients. One of these is lemongrass. I love the stuff, but from where we lived in Kentucky, I had to travel to a specialty store about an hour and a half away to get it. Now I have a nearly unlimited supply at a nearby Farmers Market.  That’s the first of three reasons why I wanted to make a summery cake with lemongrass syrup

Summery Cake with Lemongrass Syrup Recipe from Home Made Summer | Fake Food Free

The seconds is that I’ve used lemongrass in savory dishes, but never in something sweet.  The third, I’m such a fan of simple desserts. I used to be a triple chocolate-nut-caramel-whipped-cream in one dessert kind of girl, but now I find those kinds of things too rich, and overwhelming. Now I enjoy one or two flavors in a dessert that you can stop and savor.

This cake has that covered. I absolutely love this recipe, and I can think of few better summery (or springy) desserts to have on an Easter table. Right next to your copy of Home Made Summer.

A Summery Cake with Lemongrass Syrup 

Reprinted with permission from Abrams Books
 
For the Cake
½ tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
1 ½ cups (175 g) self-rising flour
¾ cup (175 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup plus 2 tbsp (125 g) superfine sugar
3 large eggs
grated zest of 1 lemon

For the Syrup
1 cup (200 g) sugar
3 stalks of fresh lemongrass, cut into chunks

Make the cake:  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (170 degrees C). Grease a 4-cup Bundt pan or other cake pan.

Sift the baking powder, salt, and flour together into a small bowl. In a large bowl, beat the butter with the sugar until it’s creamy and white. Add the eggs one by one, beating after each addition, then beat in the lemon zest and the flour in two or three parts until well combined. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and baked for 35 to 40 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool for 5 minutes, then invert i onto a plate to let it cool further.

While the cake is baking, make the syrup:  In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, bring ¾ cup (200 ml) water, the sugar, and the lemongrass to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and let the mixture steep for about 20 minutes. Strain the syrup into a pitcher and throw out the lemongrass.

Pour one third of the syrup on top of the cake just after you’ve removed it from the pan, let it soak in. Then take your time pouring the rest of the syrup over the cake, say a splash every time you walk by. Continue until all the syrup is absorbed. Store the cake at room temperature, cover with plastic wrap.

My Notes: I used 4 mini cake pans and they worked perfectly. They did bake a little less, about 30 minutes, so check them early. Also, this batter was very thick for me, but don’t worry. It bakes up beautifully.

Summery Cake with Lemongrass Syrup Recipe from Home Made Summer | Fake Food Free


 
Disclosure:  This book was sent to me for review purposes. I was not required to post about it and received no compensation for doing so.

Avocado Pound Cake with Blood Orange Glaze Recipe

March 1, 2013
Avocado Pound Cake with Blood Orange Glaze | Fake Food Free


I started the New Year off with a sense of adventure. After a long break from blogging due to our move, I was ready to jump right into some baking experiments. 

I did. And I failed. 

For a few weeks our apartment was filled with dry, gritty donuts and collapsed cakes. So I claimed 2013 the year of cooking, not baking. 

But then I got the bug again. The kind of bug that sees an avocado sitting on the counter and wonders if I can use it in place of butter or oil in a recipe. Not that I don’t fully embrace butter. I was simply up for a challenge. 

The first challenge was getting the right consistency. After blending the avocado and mixing it with sugar, eggs and flour I seemed to be on the right track. It even looked pretty when I took it out of the oven.

Avocado Pound Cake with Blood Orange Glaze
The next challenge was getting it out of the pan. Even though the avocado has a good amount of fat, I was using a non-stick pan and I greased it, given my track record, I wasn’t hopeful. I’m pretty sure I cheered when it slid right out of the pan.

Avocado Pound Cake with Blood Orange Glaze | Fake Food Free
 
The final result? You can replace the butter or oil with avocado. At least with this recipe you can. I ended up with a dense, sweet pound cake, with a tiny hint of avocado flavor and a burst of citrus from the glaze. 
 

Avocado Pound Cake with Blood Orange Glaze

Makes: 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

1 avocado, peeled and pitted, pureed
1 cup raw sugar (turbinado or Demerara)
¼ cup mascavo sugar (you might be able to substitute brown sugar)
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
 
Glaze
1 tablespoon blood orange juice
½ teaspoon orange zest
5 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar 
 
Prep
 
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a small loaf pan. I used a mini loaf pan, the size that comes with a 4 piece set. The cake expands so this was easily enough for 6 to 8 slices once it was baked. 
 
Add the pureed avocado, the raw sugar and the mascavo sugar to the bowl of a mixer. Beat on medium for about 45 seconds. Add the eggs and beat for about 30 seconds. Mix in the vanilla. 
 
Add the baking powder and salt. Slowly mix in the flour just until all ingredients are combined. 
 
Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. Place the pan on a baking sheet. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
 
This is a dense pound cake so make sure to use the knife test to ensure it is baked through. The top of the bread will darken quite a bit.
 
Place the loaf pan on a cooling rack to cool for about 10 minutes. Remove the cake from the pan and allow to cool completely.
 
In a small dish, stir together the glaze ingredients, adding the powdered sugar one tablespoon at a time. You might decide you like a thinner or thicker consistency, so add more or less sugar to your liking. 
 
Poor the glaze over the cooled pound cake and let set before slicing and serving. 

Avocado Pound Cake with Blood Orange Glaze | Fake Food Free
Thanks for reading! All images and content are the property of Fake Food Free unless otherwise stated. Please do not republish full recipes and images without written permission. What is okay? Feel free to Pin images, share links to my posts or share the photo in a round up post with the title of this recipe and a link back to the post. Confused about copyright and food blogs? Here is some helpful information on Recipe Attribution. If you want to use a photo or full recipe, just ask. I’m sure we can work something out.  
 

Blueberry Almond Cake

June 23, 2011
Blueberry Almond Cake Recipe | Fake Food Free
 
I’ve been combing the cookbooks lately. Not just any cookbooks, but the many I have on my own shelves. I won’t say too many, because I really don’t think I could ever have too many cookbooks.

I find that when I get one, as good as it may be, I make one or two recipes and on the shelf it goes. I have no idea why because they are all filled with a lot more than two fabulous recipes. It’s like the new updated gadget comes out, the old one gets shelved even though it’s still in perfect working condition.

So I’ve been combing through them page by page on my lunch hour at work and at home in the evenings. First, for recipes to spotlight these blueberries, and second, to look at photographs.

When I took the online CreativeLIVE Food Photography Course with Penny De Los Santos a few weeks ago, she repeatedly advised that aspiring and experienced food photographers should always be looking for inspiration. In books, in magazines, anywhere there is a food photograph, study it and use it to inspire your own ideas. That tip really stuck with me so I’ve been trying to incorporate picture study-time on a regular basis.

In the process I found an almond cake I wanted to try last year, but never got around to it. It comes from Canning for a New Generation by Liana Krissoff which I reviewed last year. It remains one of my favorite books because while it focuses on canning it is filled with recipes for entrees and desserts as well.

So I took the cake as a guide, used my favorite sugars and flours, added a little, took a little away and ended up with this Blueberry Almond Cake.

I was incredibly happy with the result. The cake is sweet and slightly nutty and the berries add just a little tartness. It’s a bit of a cross between a dessert cake and a coffee cake. I only view that as a bonus because once again, cake for breakfast!

Blueberry Almond Cake Recipe | Fake Food Free
Blueberry Almond Cake
Makes: 8 to 10 servings
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Ingredients
  1. 1 cup raw, unsalted almonds
  2. ¾ cup evaporated cane or raw sugar plus 1 tbsp and some for sprinkling (I use Demerara)
  3. 1 ½ cups white whole wheat flour
  4. 2 teaspoons baking powder
  5. 1 teaspoons fine ground sea salt
  6. 4 large eggs
  7. ½ teaspoon almond extract
  8. ¾ cup unsalted butter, melted
  9. ½ cup fresh blueberries
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9-inch spring-form pan.
  2. In a food processor, process the almonds and 1 tablespoon of the sugar until they are finely ground, somewhat close in consistency to a coarse flour.
  3. In a medium bowl, combine the ground almonds, flour, baking powder and salt. Stir to combine and set aside.
  4. To the bowl of an electric mixer, add the eggs and ¾ cup of sugar. Using the whisk attachment, beat for about 3 minutes until it is light and fluffy. Mix in the almond extract.
  5. Slowly alternate adding the butter and flour mixture, blending after each addition just until combined. The batter will be thick.
  6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Evenly distribute the blueberries on top of the cake, gently pressing each into the batter. Sprinkle on 1 to 2 teaspoons of raw sugar.
  7. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the sides pull away from the pan. Place on a cooling rack and cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Remove the spring-form pan and cool to room temperature.
Adapted from Adapted from Rustic Almond Cake from Canning for a New Generation
Adapted from Adapted from Rustic Almond Cake from Canning for a New Generation
Fake Food Free https://www.fakefoodfree.com/
Blueberry Almond Cake Recipe | Fake Food Free

Thanks for reading! All images and content are the property of Fake Food Free unless otherwise stated. Please do not republish full recipes and images without written permission. What is okay? Feel free to Pin images, share links to my posts or share the photo in a round up post with the title of this recipe and a link back to the post. Confused about copyright and food blogs? Here is some helpful information on Recipe Attribution. If you want to use a photo or full recipe, just ask. I’m sure we can work something out.

Big Papaya, Small Papaya – Same Fruit, Different Name

July 16, 2009

Brazilian Papaya and Mamão and a Papaya Breakfast Cake Recipe

Most of us are pretty familiar with the papaya even if we don’t live in a place where they are regularly available. The papayas I had always been familiar with were about the size of a large white potato.

When I came to Brazil and started exploring all the fruits, I soon found papaya was widely available and very popular. It is the main component of salada de frutas (fruit salad) when you order it at a restaurant and I have yet to see a juice menu without it listed.

I found those small papayas I was familiar with right away in the supermarket. They are called papaya in Portuguese, too, but sometimes you will find it spelled papaia. Then I kept coming across this fruit that looked like an overgrown papaya and the signs always indicated it was mamão.

Here are pictures so you can see the size difference. The mamão is a huge fruit.

 

Brazilian Papaya and Mamão and a Papaya Breakfast Cake Recipe

Brazilian Papaya and Mamão and a Papaya Breakfast Cake Recipe

 

Upon purchasing one and trying it at home, I quickly realized it is really just a big papaya. I’ve asked around about the two fruits and that is pretty much what everyone here tells me as well. Although, the smaller papaya is supposed to be a bit sweeter. I can’t tell a flavor difference though. They look and taste exactly the same to me.

 

Brazilian Papaya and Mamão and a Papaya Breakfast Cake Recipe

 

To tell you the truth, I’m not a huge fan of papaya. I enjoy it mixed in with other fruit in fruit salads and juices, but I don’t like the flavor enough to sit down to a big piece of it. Actually the most interesting thing about the fruit, the mamão specifically, is how it grows. I have been trying like crazy to get a photo because typically I only see them when we are driving. This is the best I have been able to do.

 

They grow on a tall, incredibly skinny tree that branches out with leaves at the top. The fruit grows in numerous bunches right at the top of the trunk.

Despite the fact that it isn’t my favorite, I do buy papaya or mamão every now and then. I consider it my duty to appreciate my access to all these good things and it usually goes into juice. However, the other day I was feeling a little creative.

I wanted to use the mamão, but wasn’t hungry for dessert. The thought of a bread entered my mind, and then, why not a breakfast cake. Who doesn’t want cake for breakfast?

This cake is full of whole grains and is hearty and filling. The papaya simply adds moisture as the flavor of the fruit itself isn’t very strong. I will say that it is very, very buttery. In fact, I think I’ll probably reduce the butter to a 1/3 cup the next time I make it. Because it is so moist, you’ll want to store any leftovers in the fridge.

 

Papaya Breakfast Cake Recipe

 

Papaya Breakfast Cake

Makes a 10 inch round cake

½ cup butter, softened
½ cup mascavo sugar (unrefined cane sugar)
2 eggs
1 cup papaya or mamão, pureed
¼ cup steel cut oats, soaked for at least a half hour and drained
½ cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt

Cream butter and sugar, then mix in eggs. Stir in papaya and mix well. Next stir in the soaked oats and stir until combined. Finally add in flour, baking soda and salt and stir to combine all ingredients.

I used a lightly greased 10 inch round, glass baking dish. However, given the amount of butter I think I could have gone without greasing it. Any square pan would work fine too. Bake at 375 degrees F for about 25 minutes, until edges are browned and center is baked through. Allow to cool about 5 minutes, serve warm or at room temperature.

 

Thanks for reading! All images and content are the property of Fake Food Free and Lori Rice unless otherwise stated. Please do not republish full recipes and images without written permission. What is okay? Feel free to Pin images, share links to my posts or share the photo in a round up post with the title of this recipe and a link back to the post. Confused about copyright and food blogs? Here is some helpful information on Recipe Attribution. If you want to use a photo or full recipe, just ask. I’m sure we can work something out.

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