Chef Lisa

With Thanksgiving comes a lot of traditions. Families gather and we have our favorite foods. I’m always asked to bring my pumpkin cheesecake, and I’m more than happy to. This year, however, I’m thinking a lot more about portion control, especially when it comes to carbohydrates.

I got the idea for making individual cheesecakes, and did some searching online to get some ideas for how to put them together. So, here’s a cupcake-sized version of my pumpkin cheesecake. It’s got less fat and less sugar than the original, as you don’t make a crust. Of course, if you eat four of them at once, it’ll be almost like eating a slice of the regular cheesecake (almost as many carbs, though a lot less fat), but the smaller portions should make it easier to limit yourself. Right?

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Over the past week or so, I’ve been under a compulsion to bake. It’s made my family very happy, as there’s always something yummy for them to snack on. Today, I tried two different things: sourdough bread and lemon buttermilk pound cake. The sourdough isn’t new – I’ve made the bread before. The cake, however, is new. I’ve got a bunch of lemons and a half gallon of buttermilk screaming my name.

Unfortunately, neither of these things really turned out the way I hoped. I use a bread machine to make the bread dough, but I put the stuff into the pan in the wrong order, and it was a disaster. The pound cake, while not a disaster, was a definite disappointment. It didn’t have the bright lemon flavor I was hoping for, and it certainly didn’t rise as much as I thought it should have. It could be because I used Splenda granular, not sugar, but I’m not sure. I don’t know if I will make this recipe again.

Lemon Buttermilk Pound Cake

 
3 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 c. butter, room temperature
1 1/2 c. sugar
4 lg. eggs
1 c. buttermilk
2 tsp. freshly grated lemon peel
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour two 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2 inch loaf pan. Mix flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda in a large bowl. Beat butter, sugar an vanilla extract until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time. Gradually add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk beating well after each addition until well blended. Add lemon peel and lemon juice until well blended. Pour into pans and bake a few inches apart on middle oven rack about 45-50 minutes.

I found this recipe last week at Rachael Ray’s website. It’s not one of her recipes, but from one of the blogs she hosts. It looked good, and the kids were enthusiastic about it, so I made it.

I think the cake was a bit too dry, and that make have been due to the peanut butter I used. It was the Meijer brand organic peanut butter. I find that it’s a bit “drier” than regular peanut butter – not as smooth and creamy as, say Jif.

Chocolate and Peanut Butter Streusel Cake

 
2 1/4 cups flour
2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
3 eggs
1 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350º F. Butter a 13x9x2 inch metal baking pan. (I used a glass pan)

Combine first 4 ingredients in large bowl. Using electric mixer, beat on low speed until the mixture is blended and crumbly. Transfer 1 cup of the mix, lightly packed, to small bowl and reserve (this will be the streusel topping). Add eggs, milk, vanilla, baking powder and baking soda to remaining flour mixture in large bowl. Beat at low speed until evenly moist. Increase speed to medium and beat until well blended, scraping bowl occasionally, about 3 minutes. Stir in 1 cup chips. Transfer batter to prepared pan. Sprinkle with reserved 1 cup streusel topping and remaining 1 cup chips.

Bake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 35 to 40 minutes. Cool cake in pan on rack.

It was Matt’s birthday yesterday, and I wanted to make him a cake. He said he didn’t have a regular cake, but it changed from year to year. The one he remembered most, though, was a cinnamon streusel cake from a mix (he’s pretty sure it was Pillsbury, but they changed the recipe years ago and he didn’t like the new formulation. I did some rummaging around, and eventually found a cake that looked like the one he liked.

And in typing up the recipe below I discovered I forgot to put the vanilla in the cake batter…

Cinnamon Streusel Cake

 
Streusel Topping:

1 cup flour
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon, ground
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold butter, cut into chunks
1 cup chopped walnuts

Cake:

2/3 cup butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cup sour cream
4 eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Vanilla Glaze, recipe follows (optional)
DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. For the Streusel Topping, mix flour, brown sugar and cinnamon in medium bowl. Cut in cold butter with pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in walnuts. Set aside.

2. For the Cake, beat softened butter, granulated sugar and sour cream in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in vanilla. Gradually beat in flour and baking soda on low speed until well mixed.

3. Spoon 1/2 of the Streusel Topping into greased and floured 12-cup Bundt pan. Spoon 1/2 of the batter over top. Repeat layers.

4. Bake 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack. Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar or drizzle with Vanilla Glaze, if desired.
Tips

Vanilla Glaze: Mix 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar, 2 tablespoons water and 1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Pure Vanilla Extract in medium bowl until smooth. If necessary, stir in 1 to 3 additional teaspoons water until glaze is of desired consistency. Drizzle over cooled cake. Let stand until glaze is set.

I haven’t made this cake for a long time, but I used to make it all the time when I had sourdough starter. It takes several hours to make, but it’s definitely worth it.

When the weather gets better, I’m going to get a starter going again. My family loves sourdough bread, and there’s lots of things that can be made with the starter.

Sourdough Chocolate Cranberry Cake

 
From Allrecipes, by Esther Nelson. Makes one 9″x13″ cake.

1/2 cup sourdough starter
1 cup water
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup dry milk powder
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 eggs
3 (1 ounce) squares semisweet chocolate
1 (16 ounce) can whole cranberry sauce

In a large, non-metallic bowl, combine sourdough    starter, water, flour and powdered milk. Let ferment uncovered, for 2 to 3 hours in a warm place until bubbly and a clear sour milk odor develops.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Coat a 9×13 inch pan with cooking spray and, using a small sieve or shaker, dust lightly with cocoa powder.

In a separate large bowl, mix together sugar, oil, salt, vanilla, cinnamon and baking soda. Add eggs, melted semi-sweet baking chocolate, and cranberry sauce.

Combine the mixtures together and stir until well blended.

Pour into a 9×13 inch baking pan. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 to 35 minutes, or until knife inserted into center comes out clean. Cool at least 10 minutes before serving, excellent served slightly warm.

Garnish by sifting powdered sugar onto a paper doily or just dollop spoonfuls of whole berry cranberry sauce on top of each serving of cake.

This cake can also be baked in 2 – 8 inch round layer cake pans, baking time is decreased to 20 to 25 minutes or until knife inserted comes out clean. Another can of whole berry cranberry sauce can be spread generously between and on top of the unfrosted layered cake rounds for an impressive look during the holidays!

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 158 Calories; 6g Fat (35.8% calories from fat); 2g Protein; 24g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 19mg Cholesterol; 140mg Sodium.

Exchanges: 1/2 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 1 Fat; 1 Other Carbohydrates.