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The Midlife Second Wife ™

~ The Real and True Adventures of Remarriage at Life's Midpoint

The Midlife Second Wife ™

Tag Archives: Baking

Trumps’ Chocolate Tea Cake: A Scissor-Worthy Recipe

02 Wednesday Oct 2013

Posted by themidlifesecondwife in Food for Thought

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

Baking, Cakes, Chocolate, Food, recipes

Be warned: There is one danger to making this cake. It is impossible to walk away without licking every batter-covered surface.

Making this cake is dangerous. It is impossible to walk away without licking every batter-covered surface. You have been warned.

If you’ve followed this blog for a while, you know I’m something of a compulsive recipe-clipper. This particular scissor-worthy recipe entered my baking rotation sometime in the 1980s, when I served on a social committee that was planning an English tea-themed event. I remember the recipe came from a magazine, but cannot recall whether it was Gourmet, Food & Wine, or Bon Appétit. If a recipe I’d clipped was a hit, I’d bestow it with my highest honor, typing or writing it out on an index card. In this case, however, I neglected to note the source. Too bad. But it’s funny; I can still see an image of The Donald and Ivana (for they were still married then) in a photograph accompanying the recipe.* (I tend to have a selectively eidetic memory.) The Trumps owned the Plaza Hotel at the time, and this cake was on the menu there. Not that I ever had a chance to enjoy it in those hallowed halls myself. But if the Midlife Second Wife couldn’t go to the Plaza, then the Plaza surely can go to the Midlife Second Wife. And it does, each time I bake this sumptuous cake.

Don't be alarmed; this is really how the cake is supposed to look after you remove it from the oven.

Don’t be alarmed; this really is how the cake is supposed to look after you remove it from the oven.

TRUMPS’ CHOCOLATE TEA CAKE

Six-ounces semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled
One stick unsalted butter, softened
Two-thirds cup sugar
Three eggs
One-half cup cake flour, sifted
Raspberry or strawberry jam

Butter and flour a nine-inch cake pan and line the bottom with waxed or parchment paper; set aside. Whisk the chocolate and butter together in a bowl. Add the sugar, then beat in the eggs, one at a time. Blend in the flour until just mixed. Pour into the prepared pan and bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 20-25 minutes. (At 25 minutes I insert a wooden skewer into the center of the cake; if it’s clear when I pull it out the cake is done. It really depends on each individual oven.)

The cake will rise slightly, then sink in the center. Cool cake in the pan, then invert onto a serving plate and peel off the parchment paper. Cake will be dense and moist. Chill for one hour and spread the top with fine quality raspberry or strawberry jam.

This cake freezes beautifully, if carefully wrapped. I should point out that I always make two cakes at a time, doubling the ingredients. This way, I always have a delicious dessert on hand for unexpected company, or the start of a stash for the holidays.

To freeze, I wrap the completely cooled cake in waxed paper, then I wrap it in foil, and then I place it, gently, in a plastic bag.

To freeze, I wrap the completely cooled cake in waxed paper, then I wrap it in foil, and then I place it, gently, in a plastic Ziploc bag.

I know that you’re eager to see a picture of the finished cake, so here it is!

Voilà! I frosted this with strawberry jam and garnished it accordingly.

Voilà! I frosted this with strawberry jam and garnished it accordingly.

*Ivana, you might want to think about subscribing to my blog…

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Sicilian Biscotti

26 Monday Aug 2013

Posted by themidlifesecondwife in Food for Thought

≈ 15 Comments

Tags

Baking, Biscotti, Cookies, Italian cooking, Pastries, recipes

Marci Rich, The Midlife Second Wife, biscotti, bakingAbandon all hard, twice-baked, coffeehouse biscotti, ye who enter here. I propose a softer, gentler biscotti—just like my Sicilian grandmother and mother used to bake. Are they a lot of work? Sì, sì. Are they worth it? Assolutamente! These delicious cookies, unfrosted, freeze beautifully, so you can prepare them in advance. When you’re ready to serve them, thaw them and frost them the day before you’re ready to serve. Or frost them the day you bake them, as soon as they’ve cooled. Or don’t frost them at all. I guarantee you’ll love them. (And if you enjoy them with coffee, remember: it’s all right to dunk.)

Oh, and by the way…bloggers from The Midlife Boulevard are sharing their favorite recipes. Click where it says “Click here” to find out what’s cooking!

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SICILIAN BISCOTTI

—Makes approximately 14 dozen cookies

Two sticks unsalted butter, softened
Six eggs
Two-and-a-half cups sugar
One-and-a-half cups milk
Three tablespoons baking powder
One teaspoon vanilla*
Eight cups unsifted flour (more might be needed)

*Some people prefer anise flavoring, or even lemon. I’m not one of those people.

STEP ONE: Cream sugar and shortening in a stand mixer using the paddle attachment. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.

Marci Rich, The Midlife Second Wife, biscotti

Here’s how the dough should look after all six eggs have been incorporated into the batter.

STEP TWO: Combine vanilla and milk. Add baking powder to five cups of the flour. Add some of the vanilla/milk, and alternate with some of the enhanced flour. Beat after each addition and continue to alternate liquid with dry ingredients until the five cups of enhanced flour have been used up.

Marci Rich, The Midlife Second Wife, biscotti

Here’s how the dough should look after the vanilla/milk mixture and five cups of flour (with baking powder incorporated) have been added.

STEP THREE: Add remaining three cups of flour a small amount at a time, beating after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl. At this point we begin to bake the way my grandmother did; she spoke very little English, and never wrote out her recipes—my mother was her scribe. You will absolutely have to add more flour—I can’t really say how much, because, like my grandmother, at this point I work by instinct. Just know that you’ll know you’ve hit the sweet spot when you pull apart a small amount of dough and it begins to hold shape and no longer feels sticky. You’ll also find, shortly before reaching this point, that the mixer has given you its all and it’s time to add the additional flour by hand, stirring well. At this stage you’ll want to use either a heavy spoon, or what I like to call a culinary carpet beater. If you’ve ever read my recipe for spätzle, you’ll recognize this utensil.

Marci Rich, The Midlife Second Wife, biscotti

Time to switch out the mixer and use some elbow grease, along with either a heavy spoon or a utensil like the one depicted here. I also find it helpful to transfer the dough into a larger bowl.

STEP FOUR: You deserve a break after using the carpet beater. You’ll also have used your hands to knead the dough. Note that I’ve transferred the dough to a larger bowl for easier handling. Top the dough closely with wax paper so that no air gets to it, Put plastic wrap over the entire bowl, and refrigerate it while you grab some lunch or a cup of coffee.

Marci Rich, The Midlife Second Wife, biscotti

Here’s what the finished dough should look like. It’s now ready for a brief sojourn in the refrigerator while you put your feet up.

STEP FIVE: Remove the dough from the refrigerator and prepare your work area. I like to use a large cutting board at my dining room table. (I’m careful to spread a heavy-duty vinyl table cloth on it first.) You’ll also need extra flour to dust the board, plenty of greased cookie sheets, and a knife for cutting the dough.

Roll the dough, by hand, into desired shapes—I like to make braided wreaths, straight braids, S-shapes, and coils. This photo gallery will show you the process for making a braided wreath.


Place the shaped biscotti on greased cookie sheets, and bake at 400-degrees for 10 to 12 minutes, or until they are very lightly browned on top. Do not overbake. Once they have cooled, they are ready for frosting.

BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

—Makes enough frosting for about 10 dozen biscotti

Marci Rich, The Midlife Second Wife, biscotti, bakingOne stick unsalted butter, softened
One teaspoon vanilla extract
One pound Confectioner’s sugar (no need to sift)
Three to four tablespoons milk

Using the whisk attachment of a stand mixer, cream butter with extract. Gradually add Confectioner’s sugar, beating thoroughly after each addition. Stir in milk and beat until frosting is of spreading consistency.

I find it helpful to prepare my workspace ahead of time, spreading my trusty tablecloth on the dining table, using freezer paper as a way station for the unfrosted biscotti and a finishing room for the ones I’ve already frosted. You’ll want to let the frosted cookies sit out in the air for several hours so the icing hardens up and makes it easier to transfer them to either a serving platter or a Tupperware storage container, using waxed paper to line the layers of cookies. Once frosted, these should keep for about a week if kept in an airtight container. No need to refrigerate them.

One final note: if you find yourself intimidated by the amount of work these take, do what I do and make them once or twice a year only during holiday seasons. I recently made a large batch for my future daughter-in-law’s bridal shower, and shaped a few longer braids into hearts.

Marci Rich, The Midlife Second Wife, biscotti, baking

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Chocolate Zucchini Cake

02 Tuesday Jul 2013

Posted by themidlifesecondwife in Food for Thought

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

Baking, Cake, Chocolate, Desserts, recipes, Zucchini

CompletedCakecrp

Remember that old commercial for Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups? Two people—one eating chocolate, the other eating peanut butter—bump into each other. The chocolate gets knocked into the peanut butter, yielding a joyous discovery: the marriage of two perfect flavors. Well, whoever it was who decided that a marriage of chocolate to zucchini would be a wondrous thing had an equally excellent idea (although the creative soul probably didn’t earn a similar windfall).

It’s not that zucchini has much flavor to add to a chocolate cake. No, its contribution derives from the moistness it imparts, along with an intriguing hint of texture. I’m sure there are health benefits, too. At least, that’s how I justify a second helping. I’ve had this recipe in my collection since the 1970s. I know because it’s typed (TYPED!) on an index card yellowed with age and splattered with a dash of calcified chocolate batter. I most likely clipped the original recipe from the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

I share this with you now because summer is the perfect time to bake this cake, when farmers’ markets are brimming with fresh zucchini.  Enjoy!

ChocZukeCakemiseenplacecrp1Chocolate Zucchini Cake

—Serves 12

1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter (one stick)
1/2 cup canola oil
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
4 tablespoons cocoa*
3 zucchini, approximately six-inches long
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate pieces*

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the sugars, butter, and oil.

Add the eggs, vanilla, and buttermilk, and stir well to mix. Sift together all the dry ingredients and then sift them into the mixing bowl. Grate the zucchini, skin and all, into the bowl and stir until blended.

GratedZucchiniPour into a greased and floured 13- x 9-inch pan. Sprinkle the top with chocolate pieces and bake in a preheated 325-degree oven for 45 minutes or until cake tests done. Serve the cake plain, or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

* My baking chocolate of choice is Ghirardelli Chocolate.

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Black-Bottom Cupcakes: A Scissor-Worthy Recipe

05 Thursday Jul 2012

Posted by themidlifesecondwife in Food for Thought

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Baking, Chocolate, Cream Cheese, Cupcakes, Desserts, Food, recipes

I actually remember the first time I ever made these cupcakes. It was the summer of 1976, and I was a lithe young thing who never gave a second thought to such concepts as carbohydrates, fat grams, or weight gain. Ah, the ignorance of youth!

I’m guessing at the recipe’s provenance, but it could have been clipped from the (Cleveland, Ohio) Plain Dealer. A recipe prowler even at such a tender age, I was organized enough to type my finds on 5×7 index cards, but not so organized as to include their origins for future attribution. My coinage of the term “scissor-worthy” was decades away. And, since the Internet as we know it was not yet conceived, it would have come as a surprise to me that someday I would be able to share this recipe’s glories with untold readers on something called a blog. Ah, the joys of food-time travel!

For some inexplicable reason, I craved these cupcakes yesterday, and so they became part of our 4th of July menu, which was shared at the home of friends. But you don’t need a national holiday to enjoy their deep, dark, chocolate-y goodness, or the richness of their moist texture. Check your pantry to make sure you have these ingredients on hand, because I promise you: you want to make these. And soon. Enjoy!

Black-Bottom Cupcakes

1 8-ounce package of cream cheese, softened
2 and 1/3 cups sugar, divided
1 and 1/8 teaspoons salt, divided
1 6-ounce package of semisweet chocolate pieces (I prefer Ghirardelli’s)
3 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa (I used Penzey’s Dutch-processed cocoa)
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups water
1 egg, beaten
2/3 cup canola oil
1 tablespoon vinegar
2 teaspoons vanilla

Combine cream cheese, 1/3 cup sugar, egg, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a small mixing bowl. Beat well. Add chocolate pieces and set aside.

Combine flour, cocoa, 2 cups sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, and soda. Add water, oil, vinegar, and vanilla. Beat until smooth. (Batter will be very thin.)

Place muffin liners in muffin pan. Fill each 2/3 full of batter, then drop a teaspoon of cream cheese mixture in the center. Bake at 350-degrees for 30 to 35 minutes. Cool on rack. Yields two to two and one-half dozen small cupcakes or one dozen large cupcakes. The recipe says that these freeze well when wrapped in aluminum foil, but for some reason, I’ve never had the chance to freeze them. I wonder why?

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