Gastroanthropology

Sour Cream Blueberry Cake

A few weeks ago Kyle and I jumped on a plane from London headed for San Francisco. I was terrified that all the times I side-eyed a screaming baby would come back to haunt me. Luckily Kyle was a star traveler, charming my seatmates with a huge grin and sleeping nearly the entire trip. I know I've been a bit MIA...since we are now home I've been spoiled with family taking care of me, allowing me to spend all of my time getting to know my sweetest creation and out of the kitchen.

Being back in California means that I have more berries than I know what to do with so after they are eaten fresh, prepped for frozen for winter months ahead, made into jams and compotes, there are still some left to sprinkle on cakes. This sour cream cake is pretty fabulous...I think I sometimes hear angels chorusing in the background when I bite into it. Take care to follow the method, especially mixing the sour cream with baking soda and leaving it out for an hour at room temperature and taking the time to slowly add the sugar.

SOUR CREAM BLUEBERRY CAKE inspired by Carole Walters

CAKE TOPPING

• 1 cup walnuts (or pecans)
• 6 Tbs brown sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup blueberries (or raspberries or a mixture of both)

Combine walnuts, brown sugar, and cinnamon and pulse in a food processor till the nuts are pebble sized or smaller. Set aside. Clean blueberries and set aside in a separate bowl.

CAKE BATTER

• 1 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 tsp baking soda

Combine sour cream and baking soda and set aside at room temperature for 1 hour.

• 3 cups sifted flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup (2 sticks) butter, slightly firm
• 1 3/4 cup superfine sugar**
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla

**If you do not have superfine sugar pulse regular granulated sugar to make superfine sugar. Do this before pulsing the nut mixture so you don't have to clean your food processor twice.

Preheat oven to 350F.

Sift together dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside. Using a paddle attachment beat butter for 1 minute. Add sugar, 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time, taking about 6 minutes to complete this step. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating the mixture for 1 minute after adding each egg. Add vanilla. Alternate adding drys and sour cream mixtures, beginning and ending with drys. Do this by adding 1/4 of the dry mixture and alternating with 1/3 of the sour cream mixture.

Butter a 9x13 inch glass pan. Add the batter. Sprinkle the nut mixture on top of the batter. Sprinkle the blueberries evenly across the top and gently press them into the batter. Bake for about 1 hour or until a cake tester comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 30 minutes and then out of the pan for 30 minutes.

A few notes...

Originally I made this cake as a coffee cake loaf. I added about 2/3 of the batter into the loaf pan and then sprinkled half the nut mixture. Then I added the remaining batter on top and finished by adding the rest of the nut mixture. The baking time did increase, taking about 1 1/2 hour. The batter fit into an 9x5x3 inch large loaf pan. I must also tell you that the batter just barely fit and only did so because I was so diligent in sampling the batter, which by the way, is absolutely delicious and reminiscent of one of my favorite splurges...cake batter ice cream. The point is the next time I make this cake in loaf form I will probably split it between two medium sized loaf pans, rather than baking it in one large loaf pan.

I've been pretty broody with Kyle, but here is a little peak -

Making bald men jealous everywhere! 
 

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 =).  

Walnut + Prune Oat Cookies

So I've been eating oatmeal for breakfast nearly every morning for weeks, so much so that I've been buying oats by bulk. Nuts, cinnamon, dried or fresh fruit usually accompany. Since I'm eating multiple meals a day (hey, I'm eating for two!) I even had oatmeal for a pre-dinner dinner today. The oats have even made their way into my sweet indulgence. To recreate one of my favorite breakfast oatmeals in a cookie I've added walnuts, chopped prunes, and lots of cinnamon to my oat cookie. These have just enough sweetness to stop a more indulgent craving. If your not a fan of prunes, dried cherries or blueberries would work just as well.

WALNUT + PRUNE OAT COOKIE

• 4 1/2 oz unsalted butter, room temp
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg, room temp
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup old-fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped prunes
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

METHOD

Preheat oven to 350°F. Cream together butter and sugars for about 1 minute. Add egg and vanilla extract, beat in till combined. Add dry ingredients until just combined. Fold in oats, prunes, and walnuts. Form into balls (makes about 2 dozen 1-inch balls) and bake for about 10 minutes. The edges should be golden brown, but don't overbake unless you prefer a crisper cookie. 

Flat + Chewy Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies

I test cookie recipes all the time, all sorts of recipes for all sorts of people for all sorts of occasions. It is always the chocolate chip cookie I most enjoy testing. I like them small (3-4 bites), flat and chewy. I like them with really good quality chocolate, sea salt and with fresh walnuts.

This recipe has quickly leap-frogged to nearly the top of my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipes, of which there are over 20. I say "nearly" because it hasn't dethroned the gold standard of chocolate chip cookie recipes. 

Bits of the dough were baked on the day, the day after, and the day after that. All samples were consumed - some right out of the oven, some warm, some room temp, some the day after or longer. The best samples came from the cookies baked the day after, and consumed warm or at room temp. A few remaining samples lasted about 4 days in a sealed container and none seemed to lose their initial charm. 

FLAT + CHEWY CHOCOLATE WALNUT COOKIES adapted from Saveur and NY Times

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 scant Tbsp sea salt, rub between hands to crush up a bit (use less salt if using table salt)
• 1 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 8 oz unsalted butter, soft
• 2 eggs, room temp
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
• 12 oz ground bittersweet chocolate
• 8 oz ground walnuts

METHOD

Grind walnuts and chocolate in a food processor. Start with walnuts, pulse till you get small lentil sized pieces. Remove from food processor and do the same with the chocolate and set aside. Combine dries with a whisk, set aside.

Beat sugars and butter until fluffy, 1-2 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time, then vanilla. Add flour mixture. Then add chocolate and walnuts until just combined. Chill. (This recipe makes 60 cookies so divide dough if you don't want to bake that many. Freeze excess dough for up to 4 weeks.)

Heat oven to 325°F / 160°C. Scoop dough with a small ice cream scoop, or into tablespoon-sized balls. Put on a lined cookie sheet and gently press to flatten a bit. Bake until just set, about 12-15 minutes. I bake them till the edges brown a bit, but the middles looked barely cooked. This ensures a chewy cookie...cook longer for a more crispy cookie. Another tip for chewy cookies is when you take them out of the oven tap the cookie sheet against the counter so the cookies "fall". Let cool a bit and enjoy.

Remember to use good quality chocolate - Valhrona Guanaja is my recommendation, and fresh walnuts.

I must warn you - I ate six cookies the first time I tried these. One right after the other.

Banana Nut Monkey Bread

Happy New Year! 2011 promises to be quite an exciting year. For one, the Gastroanthropologist has been dilligently working on a nine-month baking project that will be ready in less than three months! Quick apologies for the lack of posts, but planning for birthing a little baby boy abroad when all of our family and friends are in the States has taken a bit of planning and mental fortitude.

Gastroanthropology will not morph into a baby blog, but I will be launching a separate baby blog when the little peanut is starting to eat things other than milk.

So far, the pregnancy has been great with minimal morning sickness and no odd cravings. However, as I enter the third trimester the belly is definitely growing at a rapid pace, and the appetite grows more voracious. This morning I woke up and brioche with lots of cinnamon, some sweetness, a sprinkling of nuts, and banana was just the thing the belly was begging. Not sure if it's pratice for motherhood, but the usual annoyance I have for waiting for yeasted doughs to rise has melted into an abundance of patience. So today, I have no problem waiting a few hours for this recipe to come together.

This bread is called monkey bread, because the dough is divided and rolled in cinnamon-brown sugar, and once baked together can be pulled apart. When you pull apart to eat, you sort of mimic the way a monkey might eat bread. I added mashed banana and nuts to this, but it is totally optional, so feel free to leave out.

BANANA NUT MONKEY BREAD

The Starter

• 1/4 c whipping cream (can use half & half or whole milk)
• 1/4 oz (7 grams) active dry yeast
• 2 oz (56 grams) all-purpose flour

The Dough

• 10 oz (280 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1 oz (28 grams) granulated sugar
• 1/4 oz (7 grams) salt
• 4 eggs, room temp
• 8 oz (224 grams) unsalted butter, room temp

Cinnamon-Brown Sugar

• 1/4 oz (7 grams) or about 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 3 oz (84 grams) brown sugar
• 1 oz (28 grams) chopped walnuts, optional
• 1 medium ripe banana, optional (leave in separate bowl)

METHOD

Heat cream to warm (not hot, about 100°F / 38°C). In a small mixing bowl, combine first measurement of flour and yeast. Add warm cream and mix to moisten flour mixture. Cover with plastic and place in a warm spot until doubled.

In the bowl of a mixer with the dough hook attachment, put the second measurement of flour, sugar and salt. Add doubled yeast mixture and eggs to the bowl and mix until a smooth dough forms. Add softened butter, a few ounces at a time, mixing until incorporated before adding more. Continue to beat on medium to high speed until dough becomes sticky and elastic, and slaps against the sides of the mixing bowl.

In a separate shallow bowl mix together the cinnamon, brown sugar, and nuts. Mash the ripe banana in a separate bowl.  

Butter or use non-stick spray for the loaf pan of your choice (you could also use a bundt cake pan). I used three small 6-inch greaseproof paper loaf pans. Remember your dough needs room to double in height. 

Spray a bit of non-stick spray on your hands and grab golf ball sized portions of dough. Roll around in the cinnamon-sugar mixture and place in the loaf pan. Repeat until you have a single layer in the bottom of the pan. Add the mashed banana on top of the dough and continue to portion the dough and roll in cinnamon-sugar, covering the mashed banana, and using up all the remaining dough. Once finished sprinkle any remaining cinnamon-sugar on top.

The dough must be set aside in a warm spot to double.

If you use the paper loaf pans, place them on a sheet pan as sugar may melt a little and leak a bit of sticky syrup. Loosely cover with plastic and put into a warm spot to proof until doubled. Preheat oven to 350°F / 175 °C and bake until golden and tester comes out clean. Depending on if your baking a single loaf, or a few small loaves it should take anywhere from 30 - 45 minutes. 

This monkey bread should be eaten warm out of the oven. As soon as it cools enough to touch, pull apart and enjoy. It's a lovely bread for brunch. It will keep for a day, but should be served warm (just pop in the microwave for a few seconds). It also makes a decadent french toast bread, but it should really be two to three days old (you want it dried out a bit and stale) before you attempt this (it will fall apart if it's too fresh). Instead of pulling apart, slice the bread, and continue as you would when making french toast.