MangiaMore: lightened HUMMINGBIRD cake

RER 3.27.16

I generally equate coconut cake with Easter. In fact, there has been the rare occasion that I have eaten coconut cake outside of Easter or that I did not enjoy coconut cake on Easter. The two just go together in my mind—like peanut butter and jelly would, if I could eat it. Cake and holiday meld to one (but not really).

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This Easter, however, was one of those rare occasions when coconut cake was not devoured on the holiday. This year was a little different. Why? Who knows? Perhaps, spring break sprung and there was so much to do, or a newish job caused sharp ups and downs, or downtime is the new norm. Perhaps, we have all been more wary of sweets and what we eat (by all, I mean everyone in my family except for me). Have no fear; cake was still involved.

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RER 3.27.16

Hummingbird cake has been a hot topic here for the last couple weeks or so—something about a yoga teacher needing the southern specialty for her mother’s birthday. The anecdote sparked interest and a Google search (or two), and eventually, led me to make a lighter version Hummingbird cake for Easter.

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RER 3.28.16

At first, I was alarmed by the quantity and the diversity of the fruits that come together to compose this cake. A lighter version means less oil and more fruits (more banana and applesauce). Sure, I have had banana bread and banana cake, I have made applesauce cake, and I am mildly familiar with pineapple upside-down cake. But all three—together— sounded nuts.

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That is until I ate my first slice. Banana is the only really prevalent flavor in the layers of not-so-sweet cake. It is not intense, but round and full, reminiscent of the banana bread I am familiar with. The applesauce vanishes into pure moisture, holding the dense cake together. And the pineapple pieces are only discernible when encountered, but the studs are sweet and tangy, like the scrumptious cream cheese frosting blanketing the cake. This recipe was a breeze (once the bananas were ripe enough—we put the bananas in a brown paper bag with a super ripe avocado) and definitely an easy classic.

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re.CAP: EASTER

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Timing is everything. Or nothing.

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Easter came early this year— almost like an afterthought before the actual thought. It crept up on us, shocking like the mystery that it celebrates. Acting much like the weather: temperamental, moody, unpredictable, and early. It’s been an up and down of temperature—unseasonably warm one day and typically cold the next.  Lions and lambs fighting and ending in an oddly unbalanced stalemate.  Hot and cold like the most passionate affair or weary teacher. But Easter came and went, as did March—quickly, quietly, and early (by early, I mean, time is moving forward faster than I could have imagined or even hoped in darker times). And now it’s gone.

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Easter ushers a breath of fresh air after stale Lent, dark with deprivation and reflection, and quarter three, full and dense with symbolism and five-paragraph essays. The death and darkness of Lent and winter months culminate in Resurrection and the rebirth of spring. Easter is a moment of new beginnings and celebratory feasts.

And feast we did.

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JAR 3.27.16

Timing is everything.

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MangiaMore: mini RED VELVET cheesecakes

RER 2.13.16

Valentine’s Day already feels like a thing of the past; buried deep in nostalgia, underneath lesson prep, parent teacher student conferences, and Poe. But it was a sweet thing. A stuffed puppy hidden in my bag and a box of chocolates to be nibbled. A night of homemade pizza and recorded television and peppermint patties. A moment that came and went far too quickly and was hardly relished due to long hours and sad losses.

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As in the past, I made an edible gift for my beau. This time, I went for mini red velvet cheesecakes inspired by Sally’s Baking Addiction. These little confections looked fun and they are a blend of things that my love loves most.

Anything red velvet has instant appeal. And red is a Valentine’s Day given. Cheesecake is divisive: sweet and tangy, smooth, creamy, voluptuous, sensual. So these smaller versions of a classic favorite definitely fit the bill.

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RER 2.13.16

While piling the enchanting red cookie dough into the bottom of the lined tin, I was elated, stunned by the perfect color and taste of the amalgamation. With the cookie bases in the oven and the sweet smells of chocolate, sugar, and butter, pervading the kitchen, I whipped up the cheesecake topping adding that requisite dollop of thick Greek yogurt. Hardly cooked dough served as the foundation for a fat scoop of almost white cheesecake, which made a plopping noise on the pliable surface. Plop, swoop, spread… they were in the oven, complete and beautiful.

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And then, the trouble began. The cheesecake part took longer than expected to firm from a spreadable mixture to a bouncy texture. With each additional moment in the oven, the chocolate aroma intensified and deepened to discomfort. Those pretty red cookie crusts deepened to dark dense scarlet. They were overdone and crunchy, making the proportions of cookie to cheesecake overwhelming and out of touch.

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The mini cheesecakes tasted ok, but they were not what I was dreaming about. They were not the gift I wanted to give. My too-done treats involved too much crunch and not enough creaminess. There was, however, the pleasant play of sweet and tangy, chocolate and butter. All was not lost. Every experience is a learning experience. There’s always next year.

Hope you all had a happy Valentine’s Day, too!

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