Baking by Flavor

Recipe

LEMON-LIME CAKE WITH GLAZED CITRUS THREADS
One 10-inch fluted tube cake, creating 16 slices

Fine, long shreds of glazed lemon and lime peel, glistening and bright, weave through this citrus-spiked butter cake batter. For a keen flavor impact, the baked cake is finished with fresh sweet-sharp glaze (it's actually uncooked) which you brush over the cake when it's released from the baking pan. This cake is sweet and tart, and delicious served with a raspberry or blueberry compote.

Nonstick cooking spray, for preparing the cake pan.

Glazed Lemon and Lime Threads
3 lemons, washed well and dried
1 lime, washed well and dried
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/4 cup water

Lemon-Lime Butter Cake Batter
2-3/4 cups unsifted bleached all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsifted bleached cake flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 pound (16 tablespoons or 2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups superfine sugar
1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon rind
2 teaspoons pure lemon extract
4 large eggs
7/8 cup (1 cup less 2 tablespoons) buttermilk, whisked well
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice

Lemon-Lime Glaze for Brushing on the Warm, Baked Cake
1/4 cup freshly squeezed and strained lemon juice
1/4 cup freshly squeezed and strained lime juice
1/2 cup superfine sugar

Bakeware
10-inch Bundt pan

Make the glazed lemon and lime threads:
Remove the outer peel from each lemon and the lime in thin shreds with a zester, producing fine julienne threads. Place the shreds in a medium-size nonreactive saucepan, cover with 2 inches of cold water, and bring to the boil. Boil for 30 seconds, then pour into a small stainless steel strainer.

Place the granulated sugar and water in a small nonreactive saucepan (preferably enameled cast iron), cover, and cook over low heat until the sugar has dissolved completely. Uncover, add citrus threads and simmer for 5 to 8 minutes, or until the threads look glossy and there is a scant 1 tablespoon of syrup left in the saucepan.

Drain the citrus threads of any syrup, except what clings lightly to them, turn into a small ramekin, and cool completely.

Preheat the oven and prepare the cake pan:
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Film the inside of the Bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.

Mix the lemon-lime butter cake batter:
Sift the all-purpose flour, cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt onto a sheet of waxed paper.

Cream the butter in the large bowl of a freestanding electric mixer on moderate speed for 3 minutes. Add the superfine sugar in three additions, beating on moderate speed for 1 minute after each portion is added. Beat in the lemon rind and lemon extract. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for 30 seconds after each addition.

On low speed, alternately add the sifted ingredients in three additions with the buttermilk in two additions, beginning and ending with the sifted mixture. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl frequently to keep the batter even-textured. Blend in the limejuice and cooled, glazed citrus peel.

Scrape the batter into the prepared Bundt pan. Gently shake the pan (once or twice) from side to side to level the top.

Bake and cool the cake:
Bake the cake for 55 minutes to 1 hour, or until risen, set, and a wooden pick inserted in the cake withdraws clean. The baked cake will pull away slightly from the sides and central tube of the baking pan.

Let the cake stand in the pan on a cooling rack for 5 to 8 minutes. Invert the cake onto another cooling rack. Place a sheet of waxed paper under the cooling rack to catch any drips of glaze.

Mix the lemon-lime brushing glaze:
Make the brushing glaze while the cake is cooling in the pan. Combine the lemon juice, lime juice, and sugar in a small nonreactive bowl.

Glaze the hot cake:
Using a 1-inch pastry brush, paint the citrus glaze over the surface of the hot cake, taking care to dampen the sides of the cake as well as the top. Cool completely before slicing and serving. Slicing observation: Use a serrated knife to cut the cake neatly and cleanly.

Freshly baked, the cake keeps for 3 days.

Best Baking Advice:
The glazed citrus threads can be made up to 2 days in advance. Refrigerate the simmered citrus threads in the remaining syrup in a tightly covered, nonreactive storage container, but use them at room temperature.

PEANUT MADNESS CHUNKS
About 27 cookies

These are voluptuous cookies, with generous hunks of candy and roasted peanuts snared in a brown-sugar and vanilla-scented dough. A batch of cookie dough can be made up and refrigerated for up to 3 days (or frozen for a month) before baking, so you can have the cookies freshly baked, when the peanut flavor is at its peak.

Peanut Butter Candy Cookie Dough
Eighteen (.6 ounce each) snack-size milk chocolate peanut butter cups (Reese's Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups), each cup cut into 1/2-inch chunks
1-1/2 cups unsifted all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon salt
9 tablespoons (1 stick plus 1 tablespoon) unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons shortening
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar, sieved if lumpy
1 tablespoon creamy (smooth) peanut butter)
1 large egg
1-1/2 pure teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup whole roasted unsalted peanuts

Bakeware
several cookie sheets

Chill the peanut butter candy chunks:
Place the cut-up candy in a bowl and refrigerate for 20 minutes. Candy chilling observation: Refrigerating the chunks of candy will help to keep them intact as they are worked into the cookie dough.

Mix the peanut butter candy cookie dough:
Whisk the flour, cream of tartar, and salt in a small mixing bowl.

Cream the butter and shortening in the large bowl of a freestanding electric mixer on low speed for 2 minutes. Add the granulated sugar and beat for 1 minute on moderate speed. Add the light brown sugar and beat for a minute longer. Beat in the peanut butter and egg. Blend in the vanilla extract. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl frequently with a rubber spatula to keep the dough even-textured. On low speed, add the sifted mixture in two additions, beating just until the particles of flour are absorbed. Work in the candy chunks and peanuts, using a wooden spoon or flat wooden paddle. Dough texture observation: The cookie dough will be stiff and chunky with candy and nuts.

Chill the cookie dough:
Cover the bowl with a sheet of plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 to 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven and prepare the cookie sheets:
Preheat the oven to 325° F in advance of baking. Line the cookie sheets with lengths of cooking parchment paper.

Spoon the dough onto the prepared cookie sheets:
Place rounded, lightly domed 2-tablespoon mounds of dough, 3 inches apart, onto the lined cookie sheets, placing about nine mounds to a sheet. For the best shaped cookies, push any chunks of candy that jut out into the cookie dough mound.

Bake and cool the cookies:
Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 15 to 17 minutes, or until just set, with pale golden edges. Let the cookies stand on the sheets for 1 minute, then remove them to cooling racks, using a wide, offset metal spatula. Cool completely.

Freshly baked, the cookies will keep for 2 to 3 days.

CINNAMON CHIP SCONES WITH CINNAMON-PECAN STREUSEL
10 scones

The endearing baby cinnamon chips look positively charming in these coffee-cake-styled scones. If you wish, 1/4 cup of the chips may also be added to the streusel mixture, making it even more deluxe.

Cinnamon-Pecan Streusel
3/4 cup unsifted bleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup plus 3 tablespoons firmly packed light brown sugar, sieved if lumpy
pinch of salt
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, cold, cut into chunks
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup chopped pecans

Cinnamon Chip Scone Dough
3 cups plus 2 tablespoons unsifted bleached all-purpose flour
3-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/4 pound (8 tablespoons or 1 stick) unsalted butter, cold, cut into chunks, cold
1 tablespoon shortening, cold
1-1/4 cups miniature cinnamon-flavored chips
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 large eggs
2 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Bakeware
2 heavy cookie sheets or rimmed sheet pans

Preheat the oven and prepare the baking sheets:
Preheat the oven to 400° F. Line the cookie sheets or sheet pans with a length of cooking parchment paper. Bakeware observation: The baking sheets must be heavy, or the cinnamon dough will scorch on the bottom as the scones bake. Double-pan the sheets, if necessary.

Mix the cinnamon-pecan streusel:
Thoroughly combine the flour, cinnamon, light brown sugar, and salt in a medium-size mixing bowl. Scatter over the butter chunks and drizzle over the vanilla extract. Using a pastry blender, or two round-bladed table knives, cut the butter into the flour-sugar mixture until reduced to marble-size bits. Scatter over the chopped pecans and mix them in. With your fingertips, work the mixture until moist clumps of streusel are formed, pressing and crumbling it into large and small lumps.

Make the cinnamon chip scone dough:
Whisk the flour, baking powder, cream of tartar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and granulated sugar in a large mixing bowl. Drop in the chunks of butter and tablespoon of shortening. Using a pastry blender, or two round-bladed table knives, cut the fat into the flour until reduced to small nuggets. Further crumble the mixture between your fingertips for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Mix in cinnamon chips.

Whisk the heavy cream, eggs, and vanilla extract in a medium-size mixing bowl. Pour the liquid ingredients over the flour mixture and combine to form the beginnings of a dough using a sturdy wooden spoon or flat wooden spatula. Dough texture observation: At this point the dough will be crumbly. Knead the dough together in the bowl, with your hands until it forms a firm dough, 1 to 2 minutes. If the dough seems very dry, you can add an additional tablespoon of heavy cream, although it should be firm enough to form a stable base for the topping.

Cut the scone dough:
Turn the dough onto a very lightly floured work surface, divide in half and pat each piece into a 6- to 6 1/2-inch round cake. With a chef's knife, cut each cake into five wedges. Cinnamon chip observation: If a chip protrudes from any cut section of the scone dough, just press it back in.

Top the scones with the streusel mixture:
Press some of the streusel topping on top of each triangle of dough, pairing it down with your fingertips or palm of your hand, dividing the topping evenly among all of the scones. Use all of the topping.

Place the scones on the lined cookie sheets, spacing them about 3-1/2 inches apart. Arrange five scones on each sheet.

Bake and cool the scones: Bake the scones for 17 to 18 minutes, or until risen and set. Transfer the scones to cooling racks, using a wide, offset metal spatula. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Freshly baked, the scones will keep for 2 days.

Best Baking Advice:
Press the streusel topping as firmly as possible on top of the unbaked scones without squashing them. If the scones become misshapen, place them on a work surface and plump up the sides with your fingertips.

Copyright © 2002 by Lisa Yockelson.