Making Martha Stewart's cupcakes

To heck with dinner, make cupcakes tonight. I tested two from La Martha's new cupcake book, inspired as always, by the gorgeous photos. She does know how to hire talented people. The photos here are from my baking efforts.

Anyway, I shied away from the fussy decorated cupckes and went for two recipes that call for candy and cookies: York Peppermint Pattys and Oreos. I recommend both, the Mint-Filled Brownie Cupcakes for kids and the Cookies and Cream Cheesecakes for an adult party. (My 14-year-old wolverine will eat them; must be the Oreo at the bottom.)

Here’s my cupcake confession: I misread the cheesecakes recipe in my haste and instead of 2 pounds of cream cheese, I only mixed in 2 8-ounce blocks (just 1 pound). It wasn’t until a day later when I reread the recipe that I figured out why I only got 24 cupcakes instead of 30. Still, even with my goof, the cupcakes were delightful. I didn’t really want 30 of them anyway. Remember that if a couple dozen is enough for you too; halve the cream cheese.

Start baking.

Martha Stewart’s Cookies and Cream Cheesecakes
42 cream-filled sandwich cookies, such as Oreos, 30 left whole, and 12 coarsely chopped
2 pounds cream cheese (4 8-ounce blocks), room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten
1 cup sour cream
Pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Place 1 whole cookie in the bottom of each lined cup.

With an electric mixer on medium high speed, beat cream cheese until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Gradually add sugar, and beat until combined. Beat in vanilla.

Drizzle in eggs, a bit at a time, beating to combine and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in sour cream and salt. Stir in chopped cookies by hand.

Divide batter evenly among cookie-lined cups, filling each almost to the top. Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until filling is set, about 22 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Refrigerate at least 4 hours (or up to overnight). Remove from tins just before serving.

Makes 30.

Source: “Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes” (Potter, 2009)

Mint Filled Brownie Cupcakes
8 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
¾ teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
½ cup all purpose flour
¼ cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder
12 small chocolate covered peppermint patties, such as York

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a standard muffin pan with paper liners. Place chocolate and butter in a heat proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir occasionally until just melted, 4 to 5 minutes.

Remove from the heat. Whisk in the sugar and salt until mixture is smooth, whisk in eggs to combine. Gently whisk in flour and cocoa just until smooth.

Spoon 1 heaping tablespoon of batter into each lined cup. Place 1 peppermint patty on top, gently pressing into batter. Top with two tablespoons batter, covering patty completely. Bake, rotating tin halfway through, until a cake tester inserted halfway into centers (above mint patty) comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached, about 35 minutes. Transfer tin to a wire rack to cool completely before removing cupcakes.

Makes 30.

Source: “Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes” (Potter, 2009)

And still another use for marmalade: orange marmalade rolls

Missy promised last week to share a fabulous recipe for Orange Marmalade Rolls. Today, she made good on her promise. Here's her note and her recipes.

Thanks Missy!

"You're getting two recipes in one here, because the dough for the Orange Marmalade Rolls actually comes from an incredibly luscious Cinnamon Roll recipe! And this recipe is HUGE, it makes several pans that you can share with neighbors, friends, teachers, anyone you need a favor from . . . Feel free to halve it (it's assumed that you would for the marmalade rolls if you're using one jar of marmalade).

"None of these recipes are low-calorie, nor are they incredibly fast to prepare, but they are worth every bit of effort and guilt.

Enjoy!"

Cinnamon Rolls (w/ Maple Frosting if you are feeling brave -- recipe follows)

1 quart whole milk
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
2 packages active dry yeast
8 + 1 cups of all-purpose flour (divided use)
1 heaping teaspoon baking powder
1 scant teaspoon baking soda
1 heaping tablespoon salt
1 1/2 to 2 cups melted butter
1 cup of sugar
Very generous sprinkling cinnamon
Butter for greasing pans (this recipe will fill 7 disposable foil cake or pie pans!)

Mix the milk, vegetable oil and sugar in a saucepan. Scald the mixture, then turn off heat and leave to cool 45 minutes to 1 hour. When the mixture is lukewarm to warm, but NOT hot, sprinkle in both packages of active dry yeast. Let this sit for a minute. Then add 8 cups of all purpose flour. Stir mixture together. Cover and let rise for at least an hour.

Add 1 more cup of flour, the baking powder, baking soda, and the salt. Stir mixture together. (At this point, you could cover the dough and put it in the fridge until you need it -- overnight or even a day or two if necessary. Just keep your eye on it and if it starts to spill out of the pan, punch it down.)

Sprinkle counter/table surface generously with flour. Take half the dough and form a rough rectangle. Then roll the dough thin, maintaining a general rectangular shape. Drizzle 1 1/2 to 2 cups melted butter over the dough. Now sprinkle 1 cup of sugar over the butter followed by a generous sprinkling of cinnamon. Now, starting at the opposite end, begin rolling the dough in a neat line toward you. Keep the roll relatively tight as you go. Next, pinch the seam to the roll to seal it. Spread 1 tablespoon of melted butter in each of 7 round foil cake or pie pans. Cut rolls into 1 to 1 1/2 inch slices and place into buttered pans. Repeat this process with the other half of the dough. Let the rolls rise for 20 to 30 minutes, then bake at 400 degrees until light golden brown, about 15 to 18 minutes.

AND -- If you want frosting:

Maple Frosting

1 bag of powdered sugar (2 pounds)
2 teaspoons maple flavoring
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup brewed coffee
1/8 teaspoon salt

Mix together all ingredients and stir well until smooth (wire whisk and some upper arm strength will help here). It should be thick, but pourable. Taste, adjust as needed. Generously drizzle over the warm rolls.

Orange Marmalade Rolls

1/2 recipe Cinnamon Roll dough
8 tablespoons orange marmalade
1/2 cup melted butter
1 cups brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Roll out dough into a long rectangle. Spread marmalade over the top.

Pour on butter, then sprinkle on the brown sugar evenly. Sprinkle with salt.

Beginning at the long side farthest from you, roll the dough in a long roll toward you, begin careful to keep it tucked tightly. Pinch edge to seal.

Cut rolls into 1 to 1 1/2 inch slices and place into buttered pans. Allow to rise for at least 20 minutes.

Bake at 375 degrees for 15 to 18 minutes, or until golden brown (but not overly brown). Immediately drizzle orange glaze over the top.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Orange Glaze

2 pounds powdered sugar
6 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup orange juice
Dash of salt

Mix together ingredients, thinning with more milk or orange juice to make mixture thin enough to be pourable. Drizzle over warm rolls, straight from the oven.

Photo from beingcreative.me.uk

*

Food that fools the senses

In honor of April Fools' Day, you should make Lemon Olive Oil Cake. Or maybe a Coca-Cola Roast. Or Mayonnaise Chocolate Cake. 

They all sound a little weird, but today is the day to make food that completely fools the senses. C'mon. We eat carrots and zucchini in cake and quick breads. Read more from my story in today's St. Petersburg Times. Go there, too, to see a gorgeous photo of the cake.

Or don't click through at all and just print this recipe. It's a quick dessert if you're looking for something sort of eyebrow-raising tonight. Very light, in case you're pairing it with that heavy roast doused in Coke.

Lemon Olive Oil Cake

3/4 cup olive oil (extra-virgin if desired), plus additional for greasing pan

1 large lemon

1 teaspoon lemon extract

1 cup all-purpose cake flour (not self-rising)

5 large eggs, separated, reserving 1 white for another use

3/4 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar, divided use

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease springform pan with some oil, then line bottom with a round of parchment paper. Oil parchment.

Finely grate enough lemon zest to measure 1 1/2 teaspoons and whisk together with flour. Halve lemon, then squeeze and reserve 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice.

Beat together yolks and 1/2 cup sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until thick and pale, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to medium and add olive oil (3/4 cup), reserved lemon juice and lemon extract, and beat until just combined (mixture may appear separated). Using a wooden spoon, stir in flour mixture (do not beat) until just combined.

Beat egg whites (from 4 eggs) with 1/2 teaspoon salt in another large bowl with cleaned beaters at medium-high speed until foamy, then add 1/4 cup sugar a little at a time, beating, and continue to beat until egg whites just hold soft peaks, about 3 minutes.

Gently fold one third of whites into yolk mixture to lighten, then fold in remaining whites gently but thoroughly.

Transfer batter to springform pan and gently rap against work surface once or twice to release any air bubbles. Sprinkle top evenly with remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar. Bake until puffed and golden and a wooden pick or skewer inserted in center of cake comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool cake in pan on a rack 10 minutes, then run a thin knife around edge of pan and remove side of pan. Cool cake to room temperature, about 1 1/4 hours. Remove bottom of pan and peel off parchment, then transfer cake to a serving plate.

Source: Gourmet

A little New Orleans for Christmas

It's getting right down to it, isn't it? My office is a ghost town already . . . maybe everyone is at a Christmas party and forgot to tell me.

This morning I interviewed Judy Walker, the food editor at the Times-Picayune in New Orleans. She and columnist Marcelle Bienvenu have a new cookbook out called "Cooking up a Storm: Recipes Lost and Found From the Times-Picayune of New Orleans."

Just weeks after Hurricane Katrina and the ensuing floods devastated New Orleans, readers of the Times-Picayune began calling and writing asking for help replacing lost recipes. Many of them were family recipes that had been passed down through generations. Imagine losing all of that. Plus, your entire cookbook collection. For a city like New Orleans, which has such a rich and unique culinary heritage, the loss was devastating.

Judy and Marcelle compiled many of those stories and requests for the newspaper and now they are in this book. It's a wonderful collection and a reminder to those of us who love to cook, just what food means, especially in bad times.

The book may be hard to find right now because it's in its second printing and it was just released in the fall. That's good news for Judy and Marcelle. There should be more available on Amazon in about a month. You can order one now though and you'll get it when they get it. Check the big-box bookstores, too. It's a sweet book.

If you're casting about for Christmas dessert, consider this one for Eggnog Bread Pudding. Many readers of the Times-Picayune requested it after the storm.

Eggnog Bread Pudding With Rum Sauce
Bread pudding:
5 slices white bread, halved
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup fat-free evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
2 tablespoons raisins
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Rum Sauce:
1/3 cup loosely packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/3 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons dark rum

For the bread pudding: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat an 8-inch square baking dish with cooking spray. Lay the bread slices in the dish, overlapping them.

In a medium bowl, beat together the sugar, milk, vanilla and egg with a whisk or an electric mixer. Pour the custard over the bread slices and press the bread into it to help soak it up. Sprinkle with the raisins and nutmeg. Bake until firm, about 30 minutes.

For the rum sauce, Stir together all the sauce ingredients in a small saucepan and simmer for 2 minutes.

To serve, cut the pudding into 8 rectangles and top each serving with warm Rum Sauce.

Makes 8 servings. *

Source: "Cooking up a Storm: Recipes Lost and Found from the Times-Picayune of New Orleans" edited by Marcelle Bienvenu and Judy Walker.

A honey of a cake

If you're asked to bring something sweet to an Easter brunch, consider the Honey Bun Cake. It starts with a cake mix and then builds on the yummy flavors from there. Yes, it's rich and could probably do double duty in late afternoon with a cup of coffee of tea. But when there's a lot of choose from on the buffet table, it fits right in.

I'm a big fan of anything (especially sweets) made in the workhorse 9- by 13- pan. Yeah, cakes made in that size pan can't be turned out and presented on a gorgeous heirloom cake plate. That's the job of the 9-inch layer cake. But honestly, I can't be bothered most days to cook the layers, then cool and frost. Another thing to recommend this cake ... besides how pretty it looks ... you can make it a couple of days in advance. Ah, a recipe that fits our busy schedules ...

Gorgeous photo by Patty Yablonski of the Times staff

Honey Bun Cake
Cake:
Vegetable oil spray for misting the pan
1 package (18.25-ounce) plain yellow cake mix
1 cup sour cream
3/4 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs
Filling:
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans (optional)
Sugar glaze:
2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly mist a 9- by 13-inch baking pan with vegetable oil spray. Set the pan aside.

Place the cake mix, sour cream, oil and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping the sides down again if needed. The batter should look thick and well blended. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing it out with the spatula.

Add the filling. Drizzle the honey on top of the batter, then sprinkle on the brown sugar, cinnamon and pecans, if desired. With a dinner knife, swirl through these ingredients to blend slightly. Place the pan in the oven.

Bake the cake until is it golden brown and springs back when lightly pressed with your finger, 38 to 40 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool while you prepare the glaze.

For the glaze, place the confectioners' sugar, milk and vanilla in a small mixing bowl and stir until the mixture is well combined. Pour the glaze over the top of the hot cake in the pan, spreading it to the sides with a spoon. Allow the cake to cool for 20 minutes more before cutting it into squares and serving warm.

Note: Store this cake, covered in plastic wrap, at room temperature for up to 1 week. Or freeze it, wrapped in aluminum foil, for up to six months. Thaw the cake overnight on the counter before serving.

Source: The Cake Mix Doctor by Anne Byrn (Workman Publishing, 1999)

How sweet it was

This recipe is INSANE and a fitting farewell to Sweet Week. The best part is the "whoa-howdy" reaction you'll have when you read through the recipe ingredients and get to "1 box of powdered sugar." An entire box. A reader called me last year after we ran this recipe in the Taste section. Shame on you, she said. All these people with diabetes and you running a recipe like this.

Well, it feeds 15 so that's only a little over an ounce each. Is it my fault if people go back for seconds and thirds? Blame the butter queen Paula Deen. Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake, and its variations, is her recipe. Don't shoot the messenger. There is pumpkin puree in it ... that's got some nutritional value. Doesn't it? (Enough to offset the stick of butter and package of cream cheese?)

It's only October but I'm already thinking about Thanksgiving. That's my job. Make this instead of pumpkin pie. Make it this weekend to practice. Then again next week. Try the peanut butter version.

Meet you back on the savory side next Monday.

Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake

Cake:
1 (18 1/4-ounce) package yellow cake mix
1 egg
8 tablespoons butter, melted
Filling:
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
8 tablespoons butter, melted
1 (16-ounce) box powdered sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the cake mix, egg and butter and mix well with an electric mixer. Pat the mixture into the bottom of a lightly greased 9- by 13-inch baking pan.

To make the filling, beat the cream cheese and pumpkin in a large bowl until smooth. Add the eggs, vanilla and butter, and beat together. Next, add the powdered sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and mix well. Spread pumpkin mixture over cake batter and bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Make sure not to overbake as the center should be a little gooey.

Serve with fresh whipped cream.

Variations:
Pineapple Gooey Cake: Instead of pumpkin, add a drained 20-ounce can of crushed pineapple to the cream cheese filling. Proceed as directed above.
Banana Gooey Cake: Prepare cream cheese filling as directed, beating in 2 ripe bananas instead of the pumpkin. Proceed as directed above.
Peanut Butter Gooey Cake: Use a chocolate cake mix. Add 1 cup creamy peanut butter to the cream cheese filling instead of the pumpkin. Proceed as directed above.

Serves about 15.

Source: Paula Deen

Banana cream pie, with attitude

I want you to make Butter Brickle Banana Cream Pie. You can take a few shortcuts, like buying a prepared pie crust, but the filling and brickle need to be made from scratch. You will make new best friends with this pie and possibly be promoted at work if you bring one to the office potluck.

The pie combines the soft banana slices, smooth vanilla filling and luscious whipped cream topping with the nutty-sweet-buttery candy bits famously laced in ice cream.

The most seemingly daunting part of the recipe is making the butter brickle, which actually is no more difficult than scrambling eggs. Sugar, butter and sliced almonds are heated in a skillet until the butter and sugar melt and the mixture browns. Pour the melange on a large piece of foil to cool and harden. Break in pieces by hand.

Butter brickle is worth the effort even if you don't make the pie. Stir crunchy bits into ice cream or sprinkle over a strawberry-spinach salad.

Butter Brickle Banana Cream Pie

Pie Dough for a 9-inch pie shell, homemade or store-bought
Butter Brickle:
1/2 cup sugar
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup sliced or slivered almonds
Filling:
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
21/4 cups milk
3 egg yolks
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large, ripe bananas
Whipped cream

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Roll out the dough and fit it into a 9-inch pie pan. Trim and flute the edges, then bake the pie shell fully. Cool completely before filling.

To make the butter brickle, line a shallow baking pan with foil. Combine the sugar, butter and almonds in a large skillet. Place over medium-high heat and cook, stirring almost constantly, until the bubbling mixture turns golden brown, about 5 minutes.

Pour into the foil-lined pan and cool completely; it will harden as it cools. Break the butter brickle into pieces and chop coarsely in a food processor. Set aside.

To make the filling, in a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch and salt. Pour in the milk and whisk until smooth. Place over moderate heat and cook, whisking almost constantly, until the mixture boils.

Cook, whisking constantly, for about 2 minutes; then whisk in the egg yolks.Bring the mixture back to a boil, reduce the heat and cook for 1 minute more. Remove from heat and stir in the butter and vanilla. Set aside to cool for about 20 minutes, stirring 2 or 3 times.

To assemble the pie, spread about 1/2 cup of the chopped butter brickle in the baked pie shell. Peel the bananas and slice them about 1/4-inch thick, placing the slices over the butter brickle as you work.

Cover the bananas with the filling and cool to room temperature. Sprinkle the filling with another 1/2 cup of the butter brickle. Prepare the whipped cream and spread it over the pie. Sprinkle with the remaining butter brickle.

Refrigerate until ready to serve. This pie is particularly good served within a couple of hours. If you need to wait longer, the brickle will gradually soften but will not lose its flavor.

Source: "Pie Pie Pie" by John Phillip Carroll (Chronicle Books, $19.95).

Basic All-American Pie Dough
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
3 to 4 tablespoons cold water

To make a 9-inch pie shell, combine flour and salt in a large bowl. Drop in the shortening and then, with your fingers, break it into several pieces as you push it around the flour. Rub the shortening into the flour while keeping the mixture light-textured and dry. It should resemble a mixture of coarse and fine bread crumbs.

Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of water over the dough and stir briskly with a fork. Continue adding water, 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring after each addition and concentrating on the areas of the dough that seem the driest. When the dough forms a rough, cohesive mass, reach into the bowl and press the dough together into a roundish ball. If it doesn't hold together, or if parts of it seem crumbly and dry, sprinkle on a little more water.

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface until it is about 12 inches around. Pick up the dough gently and place it into the pie pan. If it tears, push it back together.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Fold and flute the rim of the pie shell, and then prick the dough all over the bottom and sides with a table fork.

Press a 12-inch square of heavy-duty foil (or a double-thick square of regular foil) snugly into the pie shell, over the bottom and sides of the dough. Bake for about 8 minutes, until the edges of the dough are beginning to look dry but not browned. If they still look wet, bake the shell a couple minutes longer. Remove the foil and bake for 6 to 10 minutes more. The pie shell is done when the dough is light brown and looks dry all over. Cool before filling.

Source: "Pie Pie Pie" by John Phillip Carroll (Chronicle Books, 2005; $19.95).

A lovely autumn dessert

Sweet Week continues though I do sort of miss Rotisserie Chicken Wednesday.

I made this Deconstructed Autumn Pear Crisp and the sparkling apple-rosemary sorbet that goes with it for a fund-raising lunch for a museum women's group a couple of years ago. It is really a lovely and light surprise at the end of the meal. Of course, you'll need to have an ice cream/sorbet maker. I've got one of those frozen cylinder types by KitchenAid. It's incredibly easy to use.

This is a clever twist on a baked fruit dessert. The pears are not cooked at all. Slice them paper thin then sprinkle the crunchy topping over piles of them. The rosemary in the sorbet brings another note of a woodsy fall. You can substitute apples for pears; use something sweet and subtle like a Red Delicious or Gala over a tart Granny Smith. Both the topping and sorbet can be made a few days in advance.

Deconstructed Autumn Pear Crisp with
Sparkling Apple-Rosemary Sorbet

Sorbet:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 cups sparkling apple cider
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 sprig rosemary

Topping:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup rolled oats, uncooked
1/3 cup lightly packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature and cut into large pieces

4 large pears, ripe but still firm
1 to 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Powdered sugar for finishing (optional)

To prepare the sorbet:
In a nonreactive saucepan, heat the granulated sugar and 1/4 cup water over medium-high heat, stirring until the sugar is completely dissolved. Stir in the cider and lemon juice. Add rosemary sprig, cover and refrigerate until cold, then freeze in an ice-cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees and position a rack near the center. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

To make the topping:
Mix the flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl. Add butter and rub mixture with your fingertips until the butter is well distributed throughout. Gather the mixture into a single mass as if for pie pastry, then crumble it between your fingers until it has the texture of granola. Spread the mixture on the baking sheet and bake until the crumble is light golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. let cool completely, breaking up an large chunks with your fingers. Set aside.

Just before serving, halve the pears. Use a melon baller to remove the cores and stems. Lay the pear halves cute-side down on a cutting board and cut lengthwise into paper-thin slices. Put the pears in a bowl and sprinkle with lemon juice to prevent browning. Toss gently, adding more lemon juice if needed to coat them.

Pile the pear slices on a plate or shallow bowl. Top generously with crumble topping. If desired, sift powdered sugar over them. Serve with two small scoops of apple-rosemary sorbet.

Makes 8 servings.

Source: “The Wine Lover’s Dessert Cookbook” by Mary Cech and Jennie Schacht, Chronicle Books, 2005.

Pound the cake

This is a recipe I have made many times over the years and I love it for both its simplicity and luxe flavor. Sure, you can buy a store-bought pound cake but this homemade version is much richer, plus it fills the house with a yummy aroma while it's baking.

I use the pound cake as a foil for lots of toppings, including ice cream, but my favorite is a simple berry melange. I use whatever is fresh, most often it's sliced strawberries splashed with a bit of OJ and a sprinkle of sugar (or sugar substitute). The sugar and juice helps to release liquid from the berries which seeps down into the crumb of the pound cake. A little whipped cream and a whole lotta love.

(Check out the bonus recipe for Spectacular Pound Cake at the bottom of this post. It's a clever, contemporary twist on that beloved campfire favorie, the S'more.)

Enjoy!

Pound Cake

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
1 cups plus 3 tablespoons sugar
4 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease and flour a 4- by 8-inch loaf pan. Sift flour and baking powder together; set aside.

In a medium bowl, cream softened butter and sugar together until light, fluffy and a pale, ivory color. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. (If mixture begins to curdle, add 1 tablespoon flour.)

Fold in flour and pour immediately into prepared pan. Bake until golden brown and a wooden skewer inserted into center comes out clean (25 to 30 minutes). Cool in pan 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire rack and cool completely. Serve sliced with fresh fruit or ice cream.

Source: "Cooking A to Z" from the California Culinary Academy, 1988.

Pound Cake Spectacular

2 slices pound cake, about 1/2-inch thick
Nutella (chocolate hazelnut spread)
Sliced strawberries
1 marshmallow

Generously cover one side of each pound cake slice with Nutella. Arrange strawberries over Nutella on one side. Roast the marshmallow. Once the marshmallow is roasted, place it atop the strawberries. Top with second pound cake slice, Nutella side down.

Serves 1.

Source: "S'mores: Gourmet Treats for Every Occasion" by Lisa Adams (Gibbs Smith, 2007; $16.95)

Setting a chocolate trap

Welcome to Sweet Week, Day 1. Starting today and continuing through Friday, I am going to share my very favorite dessert recipes. Today, the chocolate treat that snared a husband.

Gateau Mousse au Chocolat (chocolate mousse cake) is the only recipe I know by heart, and the only recipe I know that kindles affairs of the heart. I served it to a nice-looking photographer on our first date and was wearing an engagement ring five months later. After 13 years of marriage, he still speaks reverently of that dinner, that dessert.

It wasn't the first time that Gateau Mousse won over a suitor. A previous boyfriend requested it so often I knew I had a valuable tool. (The undoing of that relationship was Supremes de Faisan au Genievre, or boned breast of pheasant with juniper. I used 1/2 cup of dried instead of fresh juniper berries. He never forgave me.)

I'm still astonished at how consistently wonderful this cake turns out. It only has four ingredients, semisweet chocolate, unsalted butter, eggs and cream of tartar.

Gateau Mousse au Chocolat
(Chocolate Mousse Cake)

8 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
8 eggs, separated
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
Unsweetened cocoa powder and whipped cream for decoration (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch round cake pan.

In a heavy-bottomed sauce pan, melt the chocolate and butter over low heat. Stir occasionally until smooth.

Remove the chocolate mixture from the heat and whisk in the egg yolks until blended. Immediately pour the mixture into a large bowl. (The melted chocolate and butter will be hot enough to poach the egg yolks, which will lightly thicken the mixture.)

In a large bowl, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar until stiff peaks form.

With a whisk, fold of the stiffly beaten egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it. Using a rubber spatula, fold the remaining whites into the chocolate mixture until smooth.

Pour 3/4 of the chocolate mousse into the pan. (Refrigerate the remainder until ready to use.)

Bake on the middle rack 30-35 minutes. The cake will rise quite high at first; when it beings to fall back in the center, it is done.

Unmold onto a cake rack to cool right-side up. When cooled, the cake will have a concave center. Transfer the cake, with the aid of a long metal spatula, to a serving platter and fill the center with the remaining mousse mixture. Refrigerate until the mousse sets, about 1 hour.

The puddinglike mousse is a stark contrast to the densely flavored, full-bodied cake that cradles it.

Note: A refreshing variation can be made by adding the finely grated zest of an orange to the mousse before cooking. If you want to flavor the mousse with coffee, rum, Grand Marnier or another liqueur, add { tablespoon just before incorporating the egg whites. If you add more, you may lose the light consistency that makes this recipe so good.

Source: "At Home With the French Classics" by Richard Grausman (Workman Publishing, 1988)