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May 19, 2018

Lemon Elderflower Cake

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Lemon Elderflower Cake

May 19, 2018: The Royal Wedding Day of HRH Prince Harry of Wales and Meghan Markle

Congratulations to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on their wedding day! Ever since Kensington Palace announced that Chef Claire Ptak would make their wedding cake, we have been curious about the recipe for lemon elderflower cake. According to the official announcement, the cake would “incorporate the bright flavors of spring…(and)…be covered with buttercream and decorated with fresh flowers.”

There are many recipe versions of lemon elderflower cake but we tried the one published in People magazine. Their version is heavy and dense, unlike the light and fluffy cakes that we are used to. It is both rich and refreshing, which is befitting for a royal dessert. We also thinned down the basic buttercream recipe with elderflower liqueur but the floral flavor is faint.  We could not find fresh elderflowers to decorate the cake, so we used silk spring flowers with yellow centers instead to indicate the lemon flavor with this color. Lastly we topped our simple, rustic-style cake with a tiara to add some “Markle sparkle”.

Make a mini lemon elderflower wedding cake to celebrate the marriage of Prince Harry and Meghan. Best wishes to them and to all the other couples getting married today!

Recipe

(Adapted from People magazine)

For the lemon cake

  • 4 cups flour (all purpose)
  • 3 teapoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 4 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 2 cups sugar
  • zest of 2 lemons
  • 8 eggs
  • 2 cups sour cream, room temperature
  • ¼ cup lemon juice, fresh squeezed (about 3 lemons)

Directions

Line two 6- and 8-inch round cake pans with waxed paper. Mist the bottom and sides with cooking spray. Set aside. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. In a mixer, beat the butter until creamy.

Gradually add the sugar and lemon zest. Add the eggs one at a time. Stir in 1/3 of the flour mixture, then add half of the sour cream. Continue to alternate the flour and sour cream mixture until well combined and the cake batter is smooth.

Mix in the lemon juice. Divide the batter into the prepared pans, filling them halfway. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes, testing for doneness with a toothpick. Remove from the oven and let cool completely. Brush away any crumbs.

For the elderflower buttercream frosting

  • 8 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 4 (1 pound) boxes powdered sugar
  • ½ cup (+/-) elderflower liqueur

Directions

In a mixer, beat the butter until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar.  Thin to a spreadable consistency with elderflower liqueur. Spread a little frosting onto a cake board to act as a “glue” for the bottom layer of the cake.

 

 For the lemon elderflower liquid

  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice, fresh squeezed
  • ¼ cup elderflower liqueur

Directions

In a small bowl, dissolved the sugar in lemon juice and elderflower liqueur. Stir well. Brush this liquid onto the cut layers of the cooled cakes before icing them with elderflower buttercream frosting.

Continue with each cake layer, brushing with lemon elderflower liquid and then frosting it with the elderflower buttercream. Frost the top and sides of the cake.

Decorate as desired. Top with a tiara and add spring flowers. Place on a cake pedestal. Serve and celebrate!

Notes

  • We used two 10-inch round pans for this recipe and sliced the layers in half. The People magazine recipe uses 6- and 8-inch rounds. For our final food photo above, the latter are cake dummies with the bottom 10-inch cake being the real one. Many couples use cake dummies to add height to their wedding cake, cut a real one for photos and serve sheet cakes from the back kitchen to save money.
  • Fruitcake is traditionally served at British weddings. This lemon elderflower cake is a contemporary confection honoring American bride Meghan Markle.
  • Search our blog for more royal-inspired recipes.

 

 

May 13, 2018

Hummus

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Hummus

May 13/21: International Hummus Day

We like to snack on chips and dips, such as tortillas y salsa or potato crisps and creamy cheese spreads. But lately we have been eating baked pita chips with hummus as it is heartier and healthier.

Made with mashed chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans) and flavored with a few other simple ingredients, this Middle Eastern staple can be found pre-packaged at many grocery stores. But it is very easy to make at home and tastes much better and fresher than store-bought brands. Some creative cooks even make hummus with other ingredients, such as pinto beans, zucchini and roasted red pepper.

We stuck to the classic recipe for our blog post today in observance of Hummus Day, which can be celebrated either on May 13 or May 21.

Recipe

(Adapted from Food Network)

Ingredients

  • 2 cans (15 ounces each) chickpeas/garbanzo beans
  • ¼ cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed
  • ¼ cup tahini/sesame paste
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • paprika (optional)

Directions

Drain the cans of chickpeas, reserving some of the liquid. Remove and discard any of the remaining skins on the chickpeas.

Place the chickpeas, lemon juice, tahini, cumin and garlic in a blender or food process. Pulse until smooth. While running the motor, slowly pour in the olive oil. Puree until smooth. Season with salt. Add 2 tablespoons at a time of the chickpea liquid and blend to the desired consistency. Transfer to a small bowl. Sprinkle paprika, a little olive oil and a few whole chickpeas on top for garnish. Serve with pita bread or chips.

Notes

 

 

May 11, 2018

Mocha Brownie Torte

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Brownie Mocha Torte

May 11: National Mocha Torte Day

Now that we do not live in the same Texas city anymore as Islander’s brother Kahuna, we try to visit whenever we can and stay over at each other’s homes—except he lives in a religious community of priests and brothers, whereas our house is just the Highlander and Islander Inn. Fortunately there are guest rooms at their house and we are always welcome to stay there and join them for prayers and meals. So what is the compensation for our free room and board? Merely show up with something sweet, such as brownie mocha torte, and we are greeted at the door with big smiles from everyone! Kahuna’s community loves chocolate and this delicious dessert pays fits the bill with its nutty crunch and fudgy layers sandwiched between a coffee-and-cream flavored filling. We confess that this brownie mocha torte is both sinfully rich but heavenly tasting (but we can do some penance at the in-house chapel and campus gym across the street later).

Brownie mocha torte is a nice dessert to share with family and friends and perfect for observing National Mocha Torte Day.

Recipe

(Adapted from Taste of Home)

Ingredients

  • 2 family size (13 x 9 inch) package chocolate brownie mix
  • ¼ cup water
  • 2 eggs
  • 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • ½ cup chopped nuts (we used macadamias), toasted and chopped
  • 2 teaspoons instant coffee (we used Kona coffee granules)
  • ½ cup brown sugar (we used C&H brand)
  • 2 cups heavy whipping cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • chocolate curls or chips (optional garnish)

Directions

Toast the nuts and cool them. Set aside. In a large bowl, stir the water in the brownie mix. Blend well.

Beat in the eggs and oil. Add the chopped, cooled nuts. Divide the brownie batter into two greased 8-inch round pans. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely. Horizontally slice the brownies in half to make four layers. Place the bottom layer on a cake plate, board or platter. Set aside the three other layers.

In a small bowl, combine the instant coffee granules with brown sugar. In a large mixing bowl, beat the whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Stir in the vanilla. Fold in the coffee-sugar mixture. Beat again until stiff.

Spread a quarter of the filling mixture on the bottom layer of the brownie. Place a brownie layer on top. Spread another quarter of the filling mixture onto this layer. Place another brownie layer on top. Repeat with the last layer. Frost the top layer with the remaining filling (or decorate with swirls using a star tip). Sprinkle the top with chocolate curls or chips. Cover and refrigerate to set. Before serving, remove from the refrigerator and let thaw for about 10 minutes. Slice and serve.

Notes

  • There are different definitions of torte. As a noun, a torte is a rich European-style cake made with many eggs and little flour and usually containing chopped nuts (this recipe contains just two eggs, some flour mixed with chocolate/cocoa powder and chopped nuts). As an adjective, a torte is a multi-layered cake (this recipe has four layers).
  • Search our blog for more chocolate recipes under the Theme Menus option.

 

 

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