Gastroanthropology

Cinnamon Walnut Loaf

It's really amazing how much time flys - Kyle is already over a month old! He is preparing for a life of international intrigue so to get him ready we've spent the morning at the US embassy getting his birth reported and his passport application submitted. While the jury is still out on whether he will be a painter, pianist, poet, or pastry chef he is already helping me bake and this is what we came up with last week...

Because this loaf cake is not cloyingly sweet like many other baked breakfast treats it's perfect for morning coffees on the beach during the warm summer months. Bake this the night before or the morning of if you are an early riser. Because of the cinnamon swirl its best to let the loaf cool before slicing and enjoying.  

CINNAMON WALNUT LOAF

• 7 oz unsalted butter, room temp
• 5 oz sugar
• 3 eggs, room temp
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 Tbs sour cream
• 7 1/2 oz all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2 oz brown sugar
• 2 oz walnuts

METHOD

Preheat oven to 325ºF /165ºC.

Cream together butter and sugar for 1 minute. Add eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla extract. Add sour cream. Make sure everything is well combined. Add flour, baking powder, and salt - mixing till just combined. Set aside.

In a separate bowl mix together cinnamon and brown sugar. Take about 1/3 of the vanilla batter and add to the cinnamon and brown sugar mixture till completely mixed in. Add walnuts to the remaining vanilla batter.

Fill loaf pan with the vanilla batter. Dollop the cinnamon batter and swirl through with a knife.

I divided the batter between two small loaf pans (6.5 x 3.5 in) and the bake time was 35 min. For a larger loaf pan increase baking time to 40-45min. Check loaf with cake tester to make sure it is done. 

 

ps Getting a four-week old to look directly into the camera, with his eyes open, for his passport picture is significantly harder than baking this loaf cake =).  

Cinnamon Coffeecake Muffins

I've become quite a coffee snob lately. Antipodean coffee shops seem to be popping up all over London, and I'm loving their flat whites. For those not familiar with the flat white think a smaller (so stronger) and smoother latte. For me a good coffee starts with a lovely shot of espresso (Monmouth or Climpson's espresso beans are my favorites in London) and perfectly steamed milk - teeny tiny bubbles for microfoamed milk.

Usually I just drink it alone. But, occasionally, I need an accompaniment. I'm not a huge fan of super sweet for breakfast so these wholewheat cinnamon coffeecake muffins are perfect when eggs and bacon is too much for my stomach to handle.

CINNAMON COFFEECAKE MUFFINS

• 3 c wholewheat flour
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 5 oz butter
• 1 c sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 3/4 c sour cream

Filling/Topping

• 2/3 c dark brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 Tbs whole wheat flour
• 1 c chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts are my favorite for this)

METHOD

Combine together and mix all ingredients for the filling/topping. Combine all dry ingredients for the muffin recipe. Beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing in each time. Alternate adding dry ingredients and sour cream until just combined. Fill muffin cups about 1/4 of the way up. Sprinkle a bit of the nut mixture. Add more batter till muffin cup is about 2/3rds of the way full. Sprinkle more of the nut mixture over top. Bake at 350F until golden brown and a skewer comes out clean. Large muffins take about 20 minutes to bake and this recipe makes 10-12 large muffins.

These are best straight from the oven, so I often just make a half batch (in which case I use two eggs and a scant 3/4 c of sour cream).

Well it is approaching noon, my favorite time of day for a flat white, so I'm off to get my fix.

Lemon Loaf

I was never a huge a fan of lemony desserts. I find too often that the pucker of the lemon is masked by extreme sweetness, or a cloying custardy goo. Lemon souffle cakes, curds, and bars are hit or miss. At the same time, I love the zesty freshness of citrus. A half-grapefruit, fresh-squeezed orange juice, or hot water with honey + lemon in the winter seems to be cleansing and keeps the flu bugs at bay. With the perfect amount of sugar and fat, lemon is absolutely delicious in desserts. 

Lemon loaf is something I come back to every winter and my recipe has been tweaked many times along the way. I almost always used buttermilk for my lemon loaves in the past, but the buttermilk here in England seems to be a different consistency, making for a loaf too dense for my tastes. So, this year, I've been using whole milk and bit more lemon juice instead. I use quite a bit of lemon zest too, because when I'm eating lemon loaf I want it to be really, really lemony.

 LEMON LOAF

• 1/2 c (4oz) butter, room temp
• 1 c (scant) sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temp
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 
• 1/4 c lemon zest from unwaxed lemons, gently packed (I used the zest of six lemons!)
• 1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 c lemon juice, freshly squeezed, and divided in half
• 1/4 c + 2 Tbs whole milk, room temp
• 2 Tbs honey

METHOD

Combine dry ingredients and set aside. Combine whole milk and half the lemon juice, or 1/8 c (2Tbs), and set aside (you are sort of making your own buttermilk here). Cream together butter and sugar till light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time. Add extract and lemon zest. Alternate adding dry mixture and milk mixture to the batter. Once all combined, pour in loaf pans. I'm using small paper loaf pans, but if you are using regular loaf pans, butter them well before pouring in the batter. Makes one large loaf, or two small loaves (15cmx7cmx5cm).

Bake at 350F for about 35-40 minutes. The top should be golden brown and an inserted skewer should come out clean. Meanwhile, whisk together honey and lemon juice.

A few minutes after removing from oven, stick a skewer throughout the cake to create small holes (this will help distribute the honey + lemon juice syrup throughout the loaf). Brush honey + lemon syrup over top. Use all the syrup. 

***A few tips when working with citrus in pastry...

First, its generally best to work with everything at room temperature. Leave your eggs and butter out overnight and your milk out a few hours before starting. Make sure your citrus is room temperature as well. 

Second, use the real stuff. Freshly squeeze all your own citrus. It's absolutely worth it and you need the zest anyway!

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade lemon loaf!

Banana Bread

Bananas. What a wonderful fruit. So easy to peel and they travel so well. Did you know the average American eats nearly 30 pounds of bananas a year? But, there is this thing I have about bananas. I can not eat a banana that is too ripe. I eat them the moment they go from green to yellow. A single brown spot? Eew. Yuck. Not for me. Usually a bunch of bananas will turn color all on the same day...once they've gone from just barely ripe to ripe I can't eat them. Not a problem. Just wait a few more days and they are perfect to mush up for banana bread.

I guess calling it banana bread is a bit misleading. It's more like a cake. This banana bread cake is so moist and rich, it literally slithers down your throat. Even the batter is delicious...so much so that you won't want to scrape the bowl clean so you have some to lick! 

This is my go-to bread cake. It's a recipe that I've had for a long time and over the years its morphed into what's posted below. It's a very flexible recipe so change up the spices or maybe add chocolate chips. If you take out the oats add a little extra flour. 

These walnuts I brought back from home...they are from my long-time friend's family ranch in California. They are so fresh and delicious I almost hesitated using them in this recipe because I love eating them plain and dread the day I eat the last one.

BANANA BREAD CAKE

4 ripe bananas

1 1/4 c sugar

6 oz. unsalted butter, melted and cool to room temp.

2 eggs, room temp

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/3 c all-purpose flour

1/4 c coconut flake, or shredded coconut

1/2 c rolled oats

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 c chopped walnuts (optional)

METHOD

Mash bananas and mix in with sugar. Slowly add melted butter. When its just combined at eggs one at a time. Add vanilla extract. Combine flour, coconut, oats, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda. Add drys to wet. Mix until just combined. Stir in walnuts. Bake at 350F/180C for about 30 minutes, until it is a deep brown and toothpick comes out clean. This recipe makes about 2 regular size loaves (fill 3/4 of the way high - this batter does not rise too much).

If your interested in my wooden loaf pans check out my pumpkin cake post where there's info on where I got them.

Tips - Remember you can always freeze ripe bananas to make for banana bread cake later. Just peel and freeze. Defrost before using in this recipe.

Pumpkin Cake

This year I'm going to a Thanksgiving dinner and bringing the desserts. It's a shame desserts are always eaten last because I'm doing a traditional pumpkin pie and an apple+pear+ cranberry crumble with vanilla ice cream. Think how much more delicious these might be if we started the meal with them rather than enjoying them on a stuffed stomach.

I've decided to send the guests home with a pumpkin cake loaf to enjoy on an emptier stomach the next day. The pumpkin cake is moist and has all the pumpkin pie spices. The top is swirled with a cream cheese filling.

PUMPKIN CAKE

• 4 eggs
• 2 c sugar
• 1 c vegetable or corn oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 15 oz. pumpkin puree (canned or fresh)
• 2 c all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg

CREAM CHEESE FILLING

• 8 oz. cream cheese at room temperature
• 1 egg at room temperature
• 1/3 c sugar
• 1/2 scraped vanilla bean or 1/2 tsp vanilla paste

METHOD

For the cake - Whisk together eggs, sugar, oil, vanilla, and pumpkin puree. Combine all drys and whisk in gently. Fill loaf pans or muffin tins - these should be lined. Separately, whisk together cream cheese filling ingredients till smooth. Divide over top of the pumpkin batter. Swirl in with a knife or chopstick. Bake in a 350 Fahrenheit/ 180 Celsius oven till cake tester comes out clean, around 30 minutes depending on the size of your loaves or muffins. This recipe makes 12 small loaves or 24 large muffins.

 

A note on my loaf pans...I found these on my recent trip to Mora, a kitchen supply store, in Paris. They are greaseproof liners that slip into a thin wooden frame. They are really great for giving baked quick breads as gifts. I don't think they are easy to procure outside of Paris, but you can buy on-line from Mora. In the past I've used Italian greaseproof paper loaf pans, which can be found at Sur La Table.

There are many wonderful kitchen supply stores in the 1st arrondissement in Paris: Mora at 13 rue Montmartre, E. Dehillerin(or Mecca!) at 18 rue Coquillere, and A. Simon at 48 rue Montmartre.