Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cake

So hey, did I ever tell you about the time I met Betty White? I'm so serious! It was several years ago, before her glorious resurgence of late. I’d watched The Golden Girls obsessively for many years (during its first run, as a young girl unnaturally drawn to observing the lives of aging Miami women, and then again in reruns as part of a post-lunch relaxation ritual during college), so as you might imagine, the meeting was one of the more mind-blowing moments of my years spent in Los Angeles.

The best part about meeting Betty White was that she was exactly as you’d hope Betty White would be—vibrant, chatty, funny, an incredible lively sparkle in her eye—even though I was an absolute stranger to her. Even better, she was even more charming than I’d imagined she’d be in person. It was very hard not to hug her. I’ve had the chance to meet a bunch of fancy, high-profile people over the years that I’d admired for one reason or another, and there’s nothing grosser than meeting someone you’re a fan of and finding out they actually suck. Well, not this time—I left that brief meeting an even bigger Betty fan than before, and was so impressed by her awesomeness that I’m still talking about it years later, even finding a roundabout way to connect it to Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. Just hang on a sec—I’ll get there.

So several months back, after the release of their latest book Baked Explorations, I got to meet the positively darling baking superduo of Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito at a book signing event here in San Francisco. And I’d say they would be manically pleased to know that meeting them conjured up Betty White-meeting-level feelings. They are seriously hilarious and adorable and every bit as entertaining and warm-hearted as their cookbooks. Thank God.

I mean, after my multiple gushings about the guys and their terrific recipes, I’d probably have required therapy had they been unenjoyable in person. But within five minutes of their presentation at their signing at Omnivore Books, not only had they cracked the whole place up with their Odd Couple-esque banter, but they also dropped mad knowledge, such as the fact that Cher, Liberace and Vincent Price all have published cookbooks at some point. Who knew? The Baked boys, that’s who. Quirk and humor are as important to their books and their business as bold flavors and dreamy textures and I totally love them for it.

Since falling in love with those Baked boys all over again, I’ve read their latest cookbook cover to cover and bookmarked it like mad within days of receiving it, but until recently, I’d had yet to actually bake anything from it. I know. As it turns out, being up to your eyeballs in sugar for your own little cookbook will throw such kinks in your best-laid baking plans. But on a recent foggy Sunday, I was so drawn to this simple, soulful cake (no electric mixer required!), I had to make it happen. Because, hello—chocolate chips and cream cheese frosting, people.

The great thing about this cake is how fantastically versatile it is. Its earthy oat flavor and nubbly crumb plays so fantastically with the chocolate bits and sweet cream cheese frosting, it’s perfect for a weekend/eat-straight-from-the counter-by-the-hunk sort of situation. But it would be lovely in elegant slices for company (dusted prettily with a smidge of cocoa powder as you see here) or even made into a layer cake for a birthday or somesuch. Like a mimosa-soaked brunch with Betty White and the Baked boys in attendance, you really can’t go wrong here. And with that last sentence, I think I've created my new mental Happy Place.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Adapted from Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito's Baked Explorations: Classic American Desserts Reinvented

This recipe includes the genius step of tossing the chocolate chips in a bit of liquor and then tossing them in a bit of flour. It gives a touch of great flavor to the cake and also keeps the chips from all sinking to the bottom of the cake. They recommend bourbon or Scotch, but I'm thinking Frangelico, dark rum, Kahlua or Grand Marnier would also be awesome. If I didn't have any booze on hand (unlikely), I'd probably just use a touch of water to moisten the chips and get the flour to adhere.

For the cake:

8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 teaspoon bourbon, Scotch or other complimentary liquor (see note)

1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided

1 cup rolled oats (not steel cut or quick-cooking)

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/4 cups boiling water

2 large eggs

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 1/4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

For the cream cheese frosting:

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at cool room temperature

5 1/2 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Position a rack to the center of the oven and preheat it to 375 degrees. Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray or butter.

In a small bowl, toss the chocolate chips with the liquor, then with 2 tablespoons of flour to evenly coat the chips. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, place the oats and butter. Pour the boiling water over the top. Allow to sit for about 30 seconds, then stir until the butter has melted. Set aside to soak for 30 minutes.

Whisk together the eggs, sugar, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Stir in the cooled oatmeal until well-combined. Fold in the remaining flour, followed by the the chocolate chips. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until a toohtpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack, about 1 hour.

To make the frosting, beat together the butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Beat in the confectioners' sugar and vanilla just until combined. Spread on the cooled cake. Chill the cake for about 15 minutes, just to set the frosting before serving.

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American Southern-Style Biscuits

I must confess, i do rather like some of the things to come out of the states, food wise. One thing that many British people can't relate to, however, is 'biscuits and gravy'. Maybe its the usage of the word 'biscuit' and how each country uses it to mean different things. An American Biscuit is actually pretty close to a savoury scone, but not quite as thick and doughy. This recipe is ludicrously simple, consisting of only 6 ingredients. This recipe is for the biscuits on their own - i'll upload the sausage gravy recipe later.

You will need the following ingredients:

250g (9oz) of Plain White Flour

125g (4 1/2 oz) of Chopped Salted Butter

8 fl oz of Buttermilk

4 level teaspoons of Baking Powder

1/2 teaspoon of Baking Soda

Pinch of Salt

Utensils needed:

Food Processor (If you don't have one, get one!)

Baking Tray

Palette Knife

Sieve

First, preheat the oven to Gas Mark 4 (350° Fahrenheit / 180° Celsius). Take your baking tray, and grease it with by pouring a 50p sized drop of oil onto it, then spread around the tray with a piece of folded kitchen paper. Once greased, drop a heaped teaspoon of plain flour onto the tray, and shake the tray around until the base is totally covered. Shake off any excess flour into your sink or bin.

Take your measured flour, and add the Baking Powder, Baking Soda and the Pinch of Salt to it. Sift into the food processor carefully. Add the chopped butter to the flour, and turn on the food processor. Within seconds, you'll end up with a lovely crumb mix.

 While the food processor is still running, slowly dribble in the buttermilk. If you end up with a dough 'ball' forming whilst you're pouring in the buttermilk, stop pouring and simply turn off the food processor, cut the dough ball up with a knife, and turn the food processor back on again so you can continue pouring. You should then end up with a lovely smooth, creamy dough.

 

That's the dough done, made, finito. See? Easy! Now, to decant the dough, take a heaped dessertspoon of dough, and simply drop onto the baking tray. This amount of mixture is usually enough for two tray loads.

 

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, or until golden brown on top. The time it takes to cook these, is just enough for you to cook some bacon, or some sausage, and the gravy to go with it. When they come out of the oven, they should look a little something like these:

 

Then all you have to do, is serve them with something - in my case, i chose sausage gravy, and some crispy grilled belly pork:

 

Just goes to show, tasty food doesn't have to be difficult, or take long! Like i mentioned earlier, i'll post up the recipe for sausage gravy a little later. 

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12 Cupcake Tips

Back when I was a newly obsessive baker (and making tacky Us Weekly-candid-celebrity-photo-influenced fashion choices), the cupcake boom was just starting. So like a lot of food bloggers, I was all up in the cupcake recipes. And I still do love a great cupcake—I sort of don’t trust people who turn their noses up at them or call them passé. But the big difference between my early baking days and now (aside from the fact that I’ve learned that having my bra straps peeking out from my tank tops is actually not cute AT ALL) is that I’ve grown to understand that cupcakes are quite a different animal from their big sister, the layer cake. Whether you find them irresistible or not, the cupcake is here to stay, friends. Embrace it! Here’s a few of my favorite tips for great cupcakes:

Start by taking a good look at the recipe. It might seem logical that you’d just take any old cake batter, pour it into cupcake liners and BAM—perfect cupcakes. Sometimes, this is totally true and you run into a cake recipe that works well both ways. Other times, recipes that are meant for layer cakes just aren’t as great in baby cake form, producing flat or sunken cupcakes from having too much or not enough leavening for a smaller size cake. Because cupcakes are fabulously (in my opinion) ubiquitous, there are so many recipes out there now that are written specifically to be made as cupcakes—seek those out for best results.

Get yourself an oven thermometer. The cardinal rule of all baking is to make sure that your oven is baking your cupcakes at the right temperature and that the oven has thoroughly preheated. Cupcakes are especially temperamental because of their wee size. Accurate and even heat for baking is super important for cupcakes.

Use room temperature ingredients, unless you’re using a mixing method that calls for cool or cold butter. This goes for most baking recipes to ensure a well-mixed batter, but pockets of butter bits or streaks of unblended egg white show up a lot more easily in a cute little cupcake as decidedly not-cute tunnels. If I’m short on time, I speed up the warming of ingredients by cutting the cold butter stick into small pieces and placing the eggs in a bowl of warm water. Regular milk can be zapped in the microwave for a few seconds, but buttermilk cannot—it likes to curdle when heated.

I tend to underbeat the batter just a touch less than I would for a layer cake during each stage of mixing. Because cupcakes are smaller, I love it when the cake is a tad denser, when they yield to the tooth ever-so-slightly when bitten into and hold their shape throughout eating. This is not to say as dense as a pound cake, but more compact than, say, a cake mix might produce. Incorporate some air into the butter and sugar, a bit more with the eggs, and of course scrape down your bowl occasionally to ensure everything is blending smoothly, but avoid overbeating at any stage. Beat as slow and as little as possible once the dry ingredients are added to avoid activating the gluten in the flour and toughening the cake.

Think about the flour you’re using. This is related to the above idea about the density of the cake. I’m not crazy about cupcakes that use all cake flour, because they tend to be so light and delicate that they fall apart when you take a bite. My favorite cupcake recipes tend to use all-purpose flour, and sometimes I even swap out some of the AP for bread flour, which has a higher protein content and gives the finished cake a bit more muscle. Again, never overbeat once the flour is added—reduce the mixer speed to the lowest setting or even fold the batter by hand at that point to be extra sure. You want extra structure here, not toughness.

Don’t overfill the cupcake liners. The golden rule of cupcakery is about 2/3 full, and no more than 3/4. I like using an ice cream scoop to make portioning easier and consistent.

Bake one tray at a time if at all possible. Sometimes if you’re pressed for time, you just can’t bake the trays individually, but if you can, baking them one tray at a time in the center of the oven usually gives you the most even baking of all the cupcakes in the tray.

Once you get the cupcakes in the oven, don’t bother them for at least 12 to 13 minutes (and about half that time for minis). They need a good blast of heat to get some structure going, and if you rotate the pan and jostle them too soon, you might knock some of that air out. That’s usually what gives you those few cupcakes that look all sad and deflated when the others are standing proud and tall. After that initial baking time, carefully rotate the pan 180° to finish baking.

Don’t overbake! Because they’re so small, cupcakes can go from perfectly done to dry and overbaked in a flash. Test them with a toothpick and pull them from the oven when a just a few moist crumbs still cling. The carryover effect from the heat held in the pan will finish the baking from there. If the toothpick comes out completely clean and dry, chances are you’ve overbaked them.

Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for about five minutes before attempting to remove them to a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.

When choosing a frosting, think about the balance of sweetness and texture. One should compliment the other! If you have a very sweet and/or dense cake, think about a lighter, less sweet frosting, and vice versa. Thinking about balancing the overall sweetness of the cupcake can also guide you in deciding how much frosting to put on each cupcake. Another awesome way to add textural interest to cupcakes is with decorative toppings. Usually we think of a smattering of sprinkles as a way to make the cute even cuter, but it goes beyond the visual effect. Coarse sanding sugars, jimmies and the like don't just look pretty, they add a nice crunch that plays really well with a fluffy, creamy frosting.

Take your cupcakes to the next level with interesting frosting and cake pairings. I am a sucker for a classic vanilla-vanilla combination, but doing something decadent and unexpected like a sweet spice cake with a bittersweet chocolate fudge frosting is dynamite! Getting creative with your flavor combinations is a surefire way to make those crazies who scoff at cupcakes quite literally eat their words with your mad cupcaking skills. Boo ya!

Check out the cupcakes in photos above:

Caramel Cupcakes

Ice Cream Muffins

Little Lime Cupcakes

My Ultimate Chocolate Cupcake

Lemon, Blueberry and White Chocolate Cupcake

Little C's 2nd Birthday Cupcakes

Pinkalicious Cupcakes (featuring Fantastic Flour Frosting)

White Chocolate Cupcakes

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1970's Flashback - Prawn Cocktail

...or shrimp cocktail, if you're from the United States! Most people have by now experienced prawn cocktail at least once in their lives, but its never considered something that's easily made in the privacy of your own kitchen. A lot of that stems from the uncertainty that surrounds shellfish, and the implication of undercooking it. Luckily, prawns are fairly forgiving if prepared correctly.

So get ready to relive the 70's with this easy, and most importantly, moorish recipe!

Technically, it serves two people for a starter, or for a main course, one very fat person. *ahem* :D

You will need the following ingredients:

200g (7oz) of Frozen, Peeled Prawns (you can use langoustine, lobster or crab as a variation if you prefer)
Mayonnaise
Tomato Puree
Lemon Juice
Paprika
Lettuce
Tomato

Utensils needed:

Sharp Knife
Small Saucepan
Chopping Board
Pyrex Bowl
Spoon
Metal Strainer or Colander

It's imperative that your frozen prawns are left to defrost properly for a few hours, so there are no ice crystals left. If they're defrosted, take your saucepan and 3/4 fill with boiling water. Put it on a high heat so the water KEEPS BOILING. This is very important! Now, with the water boiling, add all of the prawns, and turn down the heat to a simmer.

While the prawns are boiling, you have enough time to chop up your lettuce and tomato. I find it easy to use baby-gem lettuce, as they're succulent, and easily dealt with. You want your tomato to be chopped pretty finely, if you can manage it, you don't want to be left with large chunks of it in your cocktail! Place this in whatever you're serving it in, be it a bowl, or individual serving glasses. You should end up with something that looks like this:

 

Now, by now, your prawns will be bubbling away nicely. Look to see if the prawns are bubbling up to the surface, and sinking back down again. It should look something like this:

 

If so, take them OFF the heat. Drain the water off with the strainer, and refill the pan with COLD water. Add the prawns in your strainer back into the pan and leave them for a minute. This stops the cooking process, and prevents the prawns from becoming rubbery. To make the marie rose sauce, take a dessertspoon of mayonnaise, and add to your Pyrex Bowl. Add a half a teaspoon of tomato puree on top. You should end up with this:

 

Now, remember this is a guideline, based on the amount of prawns involved. If you've substituted the prawns for crab, langoustine or lobster, vary the amounts, but try and keep the ratio roughly the same, otherwise you'll throw the taste off one way or the other. Add a splash of lemon juice, and a dusting of paprika. Mix thoroughly, until you end up with a smooth, pink tinted sauce like this:

 

Now, strain the prawns from the cold water, and decant them into the bowl you just made the sauce in. Stir through gently with a spoon, you don't want to massacre the prawns! The same applies for any substitutions you make, keep the flesh intact as much as you can. I use a metal spoon and 'scoop' in a clockwise position around the edges of the bowl. The end result should look like this:

 

Looks nice, doesn't it? Well, then the obvious final step, is to add this to the salad you just made - simply place it on top, and serve. You can add a dash of paprika on top for an added flare if you like, although i prefer it just as is. 

 

See? Simple when you know how! Thats all for this week folks :)

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Eton Mess, American-Style

What do you mean it's the Fourth of July next week? My head is still in, like, March or something. At the risk of totally sounding like Andy Rooney, where has this year gone? Really, people.

Anyway, since the Fourth is upon us, what are all you Americans out there doing to celebrate this fabulous summer holiday? I hope you've got all kinds of plans that involve sunshine, warm temperatures, a grill and cold beverages. Maybe even a swimming pool. And hey, while you're there, remind me what that's like, will you? Because I've spent the past several Fourths of July freezing in the fog in San Francisco. But this year, I plan to fake it. I will grill, I will wear something summery (with a huge sweatshirt over it), and above all, I will make a patriotic dessert like this completely perfect Eton Mess. Even you are off somewhere that actually has summer temperatures in summer (what a novel idea!), this is the very best sweet treat you could possibly put in your face to celebrate our great country. 

Never mind that Eton Mess is actually a British thing and maybe it's kind of bizarre to go British on America's holiday, but hey, when something's this good, it really, really doesn't matter. Eton Mess is basically a deconstructed pavlova, which, by the way, is the most perfect dessert ever created and I'm pretty sure I would make that my pick for my last meal on earth. You just can't beat the combination of billowy whipped cream, crunchy, sweet meringues that melt on the tongue, and a punch of fresh berries. Divine. 

This recipe is really not so much a recipe as it is a basic idea. Although berries, especially strawberries, are the traditional way to go here, there is no earthly reason why you couldn't use stone fruits or tropical fruits or whatever. The tartness of raspberries plays especially nicely with the sweet meringues and cream in this version, and of course a smattering of blueberries adds a bit of July Fourth jazziness. Dress it up by layering it in fancy champagne or parfait glasses, lay everything out buffet-style and have people make their own dang dessert, or throw the whole lot in a big glass bowl and go at it with a spoon. Whatever you want! You are free to make your Eton Mess all your own! Now that's America, right there.

Eton Mess

Although you can absolutely make your own, I love store-bought meringue cookies for this recipe because they're always very firm and crisp, and really, there's nothing easier. Just read the label and make sure you're getting ones that just contain egg whites, sugar and vanilla-- no funny business. Trader Joe's and Whole Foods have good ones. 

If you want to experiment with other fruits here (I'm thinking peaches would be insanely delicious), just peel and chop them fine for the sauce and use your judgement with the sugar and lemon juice needed to balance the sweetness of the fruit you choose.

Frozen raspberries work perfectly fine here for the sauce--just get a small package of fresh ones to toss in for texture. Freshly whipped real cream is the ticket to heaven here. 

Serves 6

3 6-ounce containers fresh raspberries
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 6-ounce container fresh blueberries
1 1/2 cups heavy cream, chilled (or more, if you like--I sure do)
1 1/2 cups coarsely crushed vanilla meringue cookies (or more, if you like--again, I sure do)

Combine two containers of raspberries, 1/2 cup of sugar and the lemon juice in a small saucepan set over high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, mashing the berries with a fork. Cook until the berries have broken down and the sugar has dissolved, about 7 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the third container of fresh raspberries. Pour  the sauce into a bowl and chill completely, either in the refrigerator or the freezer to cool it down quickly.

Whip the cream and the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar to stiff peaks. When the raspberry sauce is cold, assemble the parfaits. Start by placing a dollop of whipped cream in the bottom of six dessert glasses. Spoon a bit of raspberry sauce over the cream, followed by a smattering of meringue pieces. Spoon on more cream, dot on some blueberries, and sprinkle on more meringue. Repeat the layers, alternating raspberry sauce and blueberries after the cream layers. Serve immediately.

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