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)