Smith Island-Inspired Caramel-Coffee Cake with Chocolate Ganache

Day 126

Prior to moving to Maryland, I had never heard of Smith Island cakes. Once here, I had the chance to visit Smith Island with my husband, on a photo assignment for his work. We visited a baker’s house and watched her make an original in her kitchen, then we meandered around the quaint island village before closing our day with a trip to an incredible bakery on the island that makes the cakes for pick-up or mail orders. (Check out their story and shop with them at this link http://smithislandcake.com/ .) If you ever have a day to make the boat trip to Smith Island, I encourage you to go.

 As you might imagine, I was enchanted with the cakes, the people, and the island. Smith Island cakes have 10 layers, each filled with various icings, and some are topped with ganache while others are traditionally iced. As soon as I returned from my day with the SI bakers, I tried my hand at some flavor combinations I personally enjoy: chocolate peanut butter and white chocolate apricot, just to see if I could make the cakes and have them look and taste even half as lovely as the originals. Though I wasn’t blogging at the time and therefore have no picture evidence of those attempts, I remember that that were really good (how could I go wrong with those combinations, frankly??), they looked fine, and everyone enjoyed them. That being said, they weren’t nearly as pretty or as tasty as the originals. These bakers spend their days making the cakes, and they have perfected the art.

Here’s something interesting, though. Obviously, I’m not a trained pastry chef or baker. Every success I have is by trial and error. The upside of this news is that I have tremendous kitchen baking fails almost every day. Pinterest-fail worthy fails. And that’s okay. It’s real and funny and quite the learning experience when things go wrong in the kitchen. I’ve learned to embrace the imperfection of my self-taught baking and to keep plugging along. My Smith Island-inspired cakes are no exception. They slope too much; they are a touch wavy; some layers break apart too easily.

I’m working on those minor problems. I say minor because the cakes are good. They are moist and rich and decadent, and gone as quickly as they are placed on the serving table. That’s the only kudos I need. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve ordered a dessert cake in a restaurant and was handed a lovely slice that was dry and not even worth the calorie count. Who wants that? When I order cake or make cake, I want a melt-in-my-mouth dessert that tastes as good or better than it looks. You get where I’m going with this. It’s just not worth it, otherwise.

I say all of this to encourage you to try the cake and to be kind to yourself if it’s not gorgeous, but still tastes great. That’s the most important part, of course! Tonight, I’m making my daughter’s birthday cake; she requested her favorite: coconut. I think I’ll try to make it into a Smith Island cake, just for fun. And if it’s ugly, we’re still serving it, maybe with blindfolds. ;) 

The cake I’ve chosen to showcase here is a real, decadent, sweet lover’s delight. The cake itself is rich in coffee flavor, the filling, a creamy caramel, and the ganache, a bittersweet chocolate to cut some of the richness. I think you’ll like it, so give it a try. You’ll notice that I use a cake mix. Gasp. Hey, it’s easier for the recipe because this is an intense prep, and I promise you won’t be able to tell the difference.

Bon Appétit!

Smith Island-Inspired Caramel-Coffee Cake with Chocolate Ganache

Ingredients for the cakes:

2 boxes butter yellow cake mix

1½ cups buttermilk

6 eggs

2 sticks butter, softened, minus 2 tbs. (save those for greasing pan)

1 tbs. instant coffee

2 tsp. vanilla

Ingredients for the caramel filling:

2 sticks butter, softened to room temperature

2 cups packed dark brown sugar

2/3 cup heavy cream, plus more if needed

2 tsp. vanilla

32 oz. confectioner’s sugar (2-16 oz. boxes)

Ingredients for the chocolate ganache:

16 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

2 cups heavy cream

Plan on making the caramel filling a bit ahead so it has time to cool completely on the counter while you bake. To make the filling, melt the butter in heavy-bottomed sauce pan. Add the brown sugar and cream. Cook over medium-low heat until sugar is dissolved (about 2-3 minutes). Remove from heat, add vanilla, and transfer to a large glass mixing bowl. Using a mixer with the batter attachment or a hand-held mixer, beat in confectioner’s sugar until smooth and creamy. Add 1 tbs. of heavy cream, as needed, to get the right consistency for spreadable icing.

For the cake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour 5 8-inch round cake pans (I use disposable pans for this cake since I don’t have 5 8-inch metal pans; any dollar store has them, FYI, so I just stock up).

Beat butter until smooth. Add buttermilk, coffee, vanilla, and eggs, one at a time. Add the cake mixes and beat just until smooth.

Measure about ¾ cup of batter (maybe a little less) in each pan, and use a spoon—or a crepe spreader if you have one— to carefully even out the batter. It’s better to be heavier on the edges than in the middle.

My oven fits 5 pans at a time, so I do this in batches of five. Bake for 7-10 minutes, or until cakes are done. They have a light spring to their centers when ready. Remove from oven and carefully transfer to wire cooling racks. They are delicate!

Repeat with next set of 5. There might be some batter left over. I usually bake it in one cake pan and make a mini-cake to freeze and later use in trifles or parfaits.

Once cakes are cool, they are ready to layer and ice.

Go ahead and make the ganache before layering. That will give it the time it needs to rest before pouring over the cake.

To make the ganache, put the chopped chocolate in a food processor. Heat the heavy cream until it simmers, but doesn’t boil. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and allow to rest for about 2 minutes. Pulse several times until the mixture is smooth. Allow to rest for about 10 minutes before pouring over entire layered cake.

To layer the cake, place the first layer on a flat plate. (A tip: I usually cover just the edges of the plate with wax paper, all around, so that it can be pulled from under the cake once the ganache has finished running. This prevents a lot of chocolate pile-up on the plate’s rim. That’s up to you. Too much chocolate certainly never hurt anyone, so don’t stress over that part.)

Carefully spread the caramel filling over the cake layer. The filling should be thin, and half-to-almost as thick as each cake layer. Repeat with 9 layers, then place the 10^th on the top, without icing. Gently take your hand and press the cake together, at the top center to stabilize a bit more.

Begin pouring ganache on the top center and allow it to run down the sides. Fill in where needed, or leave in a rustic presentation. I immediately refrigerate, uncovered, so the ganache will set. Remove from fridge once set and slice to serve. This is a top-heavy cake, so slice with care.

For the caramel filling, I used (and doubled) the wonderful Paula Deen’s recipe, found at this link: http://www.pauladeen.com/caramel-frosting

For the ganache, I used the ever-trustworthy Alton Brown’s recipe, here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/ganache-frosting-recipe.html#!

Cheesecake!

Day 125

Cheesecake is such a favorite, but most of us don’t make it very often. I don’t know why, honestly. Maybe it’s the calorie count. Maybe it seems more daunting than other cakes.

All things considered, though, it really is easier to make than traditional flour-based cakes, but it’s true that testing its doneness is a challenge, and it’s very easy to over-bake. It reminds me of brownies that way, since the center seems underdone when both come out of the oven. But, let’s not forget that, unlike brownies, even an over-baked cheesecake is still moist and delicious.

I spend lots of time trying different cheesecake recipes, and I find that I actually prefer those that aren’t very thick. I like a 60-40 ratio of cheesecake to crust/topping, personally. My tastes considered, here’s a tweaked recipe for cheesecake, presented only three ways, but the topping possibilities are endless, based on your favorites. You can simply use a jam or preserve topping, you could cook down fruits, or you could make something more decadent. I tried all three options and the results were amazing.

After you bake a couple, you’ll have the doneness issue resolved. It’s really a matter of knowing your oven and of knowing what to look for in a ready-to-remove-from-the-oven cheesecake.

My two samples pictured today are the raspberry preserve and the turtle-topped cheesecakes.

 Cheesecake

Crust Ingredients:

1 1/3 cups graham cracker crumbs OR chocolate wafer crumbs (such as Oreo)

1/3 cup butter, melted

1/3 cup sugar

 Filling Ingredients:

3 – 8oz. blocks cream cheese, at room temperature

1½ cups sugar

4 eggs, at room temperature

½ cup Breakstone sour cream (this brand holds up best in the cake)

1 tsp. vanilla

Topping Ingredients:

Raspberry (or your favorite) preserves, mixed with 1 cup fresh raspberries

OR

2 cups berries

½ cup sugar

3 tbs. water

(Boil together for about 5 minutes then allow to cool.)

OR

1 medium jar caramel ice cream topping

1 cup chocolate chips

½ cup toasted pecans

(Combine and store in fridge until ready to top cheesecake.)

Directions:

For the crust: Combine crust ingredients and press into bottom of 9-inch springform pan.

For the filling:

Preheat oven to 350.

Beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time and fully blend. Add sour cream and vanilla. Once blended, pour over crust.

Bake for 70 minutes and once the time is up, open the oven door and allow the cheesecake to rest in the oven for about 20 minutes.

Remove from oven and allow to cool on rack. Once cool, remove sides of springform. (I cover the bottom of my springform with parchment paper to make removal easier, but this is optional, as you can leave it to serve on the springform bottom as well.)

Cover with toppings of your choice and refrigerate at least 5 hours before serving.

Chicken Tikka Masala with Green Chutney

Day 124

It has been too long since my last post. Day 124 is more like Day 1224, and that’s okay. Life got in 

the way, but I’ve still been trying new recipes and tasting lots of good food. For this and most future blog posts, I’m sticking to recipes that I can call my own. That is to say, I’ll decide what I want to make, I’ll research recipes for the dish, then I’ll do my own thing. Like this, each recipe will be my own, but will perhaps be inspired by dishes from various previously published cooks. Today’s recipe is the first—of many, hopefully—in that vein. Here we go!

 Although we struggle to agree on favorite meals in our house, collectively speaking, one ethnicity that we all crave is Indian. The rich and aromatic spice blends offer a hint of piquant, a hint of sweet, and lots of robustness. When we eat Indian out, my husband and daughter usually order chicken tikka masala while I tend to venture more into the vegetarian menu choices. Since we do all agree on the yumminess of chicken tikka masala, that’s what I chose to recreate at home.

Here is the result of no fewer than five tries to get the level of spice just how we like it (and we like it a bit spicy, but not too much, fyi). The cilantro-mint (green) chutney is a must for us, so I’ve included that here as well.

NOTE: Marinating the chicken in the yogurt mixture overnight (up to 24 hours!) is a really good idea to maximize flavor.

Enjoy! Namaste. :)

Chicken Tikka Masala

Ingredients:

10 cloves minced garlic

8 tsp. grated fresh ginger

5 tsp. turmeric powder

4 tsp. garam masala

4 tsp. ground coriander

3 tsp. cumin

1 tbs. curry powder

½ tsp. red pepper flakes

1½ tbs. sea salt

1 tsp. black pepper

1 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed, finely diced

1 large onion, diced

3 tbs. olive oil

2 tbs. butter

2 cups plain whole milk yogurt (get the cheap stuff)

1/3 cup tomato paste

28oz. can crushed tomato

2 cups heavy cream

2 lbs. boneless chicken breasts, sliced thin or pounded (or a mixture of boneless breasts and thighs)

½ cup chopped cilantro leaves

Directions:

Combine garlic, ginger, turmeric, garam masala, coriander, cumin, curry powder, about ½ of salt, red pepper flakes, and black pepper in a small bowl. Set aside. In a Ziploc bag, place raw chicken.

Combine ½ of spice mixture (above) with yogurt and pour into Ziploc. Turn chicken to coat thoroughly. Seal tightly and place in fridge overnight (or up to 24 hours—the time is completely up to you since the chicken tastes better the longer it marinates).

Cover and chill the rest of spice mixture until ready to make the dish.

When ready, heat butter and olive oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add onion, jalapeno, and tomato paste. Cook until onions are soft and the tomato paste is darker. Add rest of spice mixture and cook about 3-5 minutes more. Stir regularly, as bottom of pan will begin to stick just a bit. Add can of tomatoes. Bring to boil, then lower heat and allow to simmer and thicken slightly, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in oven with broiler on high, place chicken on a broiling rack or shallow pan and under broiler. Watch carefully and cook until chicken starts to blacken a bit—about 10 minutes. The chicken probably won’t be cooked through just yet, but remove from oven and chop into bite-sized chunks.

Add to tomato mixture and simmer until chicken is cooked through. Add cream and chopped cilantro, then continue simmering for an additional 10-20 minutes.

Serve over steamed rice.

Green Chutney

Ingredients:

2 bunches cilantro, very bottom stem-part removed

4 large mint leaves

¼ chopped jalapeno pepper

3 cloves garlic

2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil (I recommend Olea olive oil)

juice of ½ lemon

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a food processor, combine all ingredients and pulse until smooth. Serve, as is, with chicken tikka masala.

An aside: If desired, take half of the chutney and combine with 1 cup of (whole-milk-Greek) yogurt, stirring to combine. Use the other half of the chutney without yogurt. This allows for two dipping sauces rather than just chutney.

Poached Pear Salad with a Tupelo-Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette

Day 123

I recently had the fun opportunity to taste a French cheese sample of Saint Géric blue from the Fromagerie Guilloteau. You can read more about that at the food and entertainment website hedonistshedonist.com, where I wrote a full story and review.  It was such a fun experience!

Here, I wanted to share the recipe I created after trying the cheese sample, and I hope you’ll look for this cheese when you’re out shopping next. Sellers include Whole Foods and Wegmans. It is truly one of the best cheese tastings I’ve ever had, and I am definitely going to use it for parties and cheese platters from now on.

Photo by Maggie Kapustin

 Double crème meets bleu in this sensational Saint Géric cheese, so it pairs beautifully with a salad of bitter and sweet greens. This salad stands alone quite beautifully for a lunch gathering or dinner, but grilled, sliced flank steak is also a delicious addition for heartier fare. 

You’ll notice that I recommend Tupelo honey rather than other varieties. I chose Tupelo because of its distinct flavor and how well it shines through any recipe, even a tangy traditional French vinaigrette.  Of course, 

it’s not always easy to find, so your 

favorite honey will also work nicely.

Finally, poaching your pears in advance is optional. We tried it both ways, and found that the crunch of a fresh pear was also very pleasing, and the peeling added a nice presentational dimension, so you choose. 

(Poached) Pear Salad with a Tupelo-Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette

Ingredients: 

The Salad- 

2 cups arugula

2 cups baby romaine lettuce 

½ cup slivered, toasted almonds

½ cup pumpkin seeds

¼ cup dried cranberries

2 pears, poached, sliced cool (poaching optional)

1 small red onion, sliced

½ cup shredded raw beets

½ cup shredded carrots 

¼ cup crumbled ricotta salata cheese

4 oz. Saint Géric bleu cheese, cut into small pieces

(plus 4 oz. Saint Géric bleu cheese, for serving with salad and bread)

The Vinaigrette- 

2 tsp. Dijon mustard

2 tsp. minced garlic

6 tbs. balsamic vinegar

1 cup good olive oil (I use Olea from Olea Estates)

3 tbs. Tupelo honey (or any good quality honey)

sea salt and ground black pepper 

Directions:

The vinaigrette- 

In a mixing bowl, combine 1 tsp. salt and ½ tsp. black pepper, garlic, mustard, honey, and vinegar. Whisking constantly, add the olive oil until the vinaigrette is emulsified. Taste and add more salt and pepper as needed.

Add the arugula, romaine, onions, and beets to the vinaigrette and toss to coat thoroughly.

Use salad tongs to place on a platter, then sprinkle with remaining ingredients. Serve immediately with a crusty French baguette or a pain de compagne, a side of Saint Géric for spreading, and a glass of your favorite sparkling wine.