Summer of Rhubarb: Rhubarb Pudding Cake

by almost_rosey // 23Jun2018 // No Comments

I am very picky about cake. I will almost always pass on a store bought cake or even a cake baked by someone and brought into work. You’d think I would bake a lot of cakes but I don’t do that either. Most cakes are only good for a day or two (at most 4 days), so then I am stuck with a large amount of cake not eaten or I have to bring it to work.

With it being summer and my rhubarb in full swing, I decided to try a rhubarb pudding cake. I actually enjoyed it although I preferred the rhubarb blondies I made previously. I did end up bringing 1/2 the cake to work and it disappeared. Everyone loved it so give this recipe a try.

Rhubarb Pudding Cake (recipe from common sense home)

Ingredients

2 cups chopped rhubarb
1 3/4 cup sugar, divided
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk (I used evaporated milk)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup sifted flour
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2/3 cup boiling water

Instructions

Cover the bottom of an 8 or 9 inch square pan with fruit. (I used a glass pie plate.)
Mix 3/4 cup sugar, butter, baking powder, salt, extracts, milk and flour together (add a little more milk if it is too thick to pour); pour over fruit. Mix remaining sugar and cornstarch; sprinkle over mixture in pan. Pour boiling water over the top.
Bake at 375°F for 45 minutes

Dinner Party Tiramisu

by almost_rosey // 10May2017 // No Comments

I really enjoy having friends over for dinner. I like being a hostess. I would prefer to have nicer plates & actually make a pretty table like they do on TV but have never invested in it. Regardless, I enjoy having company, planning a menu, making sure everyone has what they need, and that they are enjoying themselves.

A long time ago, in another life I like to say, I used to have friends over for dinner often. Roughly every other weekend I would have people over. One of those people was my guy. At that point in time though we were friends. We were on the verge of transitioning into where we are today.

One night I had an Italian themed dinner. I had planned a menu of parmesan encrusted chicken breasts with roasted red pepper sauce, some sort of side that I can no longer recall, and tiramisu for dessert.

I have always loved tiramisu but had never made it before that dinner party. My trusty cookbook had a recipe so I thought I would give it a go. It did not turn out pretty but tasted fantastic. As I was making it & reading the recipe, it said to cut it into thirds. I cut it into 3 pieces in the pan. Whoops. It meant cut the whole cake into thirds so that you’d have cake, filling, cake, filling, etc. I didn’t care too much. I found it more funny than anything else so decided to just keep it and have it be super tall. It would be an excellent conversation piece if anything else.

I was finishing as much prep as I could do before people arrived. They were running late which didn’t bother me cause I was running a bit behind too. I went into a cupboard to grab a mixing bowl and managed to knock out the bowl of my food processor onto the floor. I stepped back to get it & stepped on what I though was a rock. I looked and saw it was the blade of my food processor. I couldn’t believe how lucky I was. I had stepped on the plastic part that attaches it to the bowl or so I thought. I took a few steps to put it away and turned around & realized I was not as lucky as I thought. There was blood everywhere. The blade was so sharp (honestly it had never been used) that it had sliced my foot super clean so that I hadn’t known I had gotten cut.

I saw a roll of paper towels on the counter, grabbed it, & hit the floor putting pressure & the towels on my wound. In my head I was thinking that this couldn’t be happening. I was having friends over for dinner in a matter of minutes. This is all their fault. If they had been there they would have seen what had happened & yelled at me to not step back.

Of course I knew that it wouldn’t have really been that way. If anything I would have still stepped back & rolled on it from them trying to warn me & probably cut myself a lot worse. By the time they arrived it had been a few minutes. I was wanting to hold it tight for a bit to see if I could stop the bleeding. I didn’t know how deep it was & didn’t really want to look. I finally did & they joked that they wanted to see. I went in the bathroom & unwrapped my foot & knew that the dinner would have to go on without me as I needed to go to the ER.

I was such a good hostess though. As I was getting ready to leave I told everyone where I was in the dinner process. Where they could find all the ingredients, the recipes, & any miscellaneous items. I left. My guy (well not my guy at the time but you know what I mean) came out to watch me leave & I waived goodbye.

I ended up with 10 stitches. I had never had a stitch in my life. My first one (or ten) happened when I was almost 27 years old. I did not pay attention to my doctors advice to not drink. I actually took a shot of whiskey in the parking lot after being picked up. I lived in wright county at the time so I’m sure there was at least one other person doing the exact same thing. My friends had been having fun in the 3 hours that I spent in the ER. They managed to make dinner and saved me a plate. They waited to have the tiramisu until I got back. We hung out & I didn’t have to get up once.

That part of my life seems so long ago but it’s really only been 6 years. It’s amazing what can change in 6 years. In that time my guy and I figured out where we wanted to be in terms of our relationship. We moved to Almost Canada. We got married & just celebrated our one year anniversary. We have a whole new life.

We actually hosted an Italian night with friends we have made up here. Of course I offered to make the tiramisu. It made me remember my first tiramisu & how horribly ugly it looked. I wish I had a photo. When I told my guy I was making tiramisu for dessert all he said was… ‘make sure you cut it correctly this time.’ I guess he never forgot that evening either or at least the tiramisu.

I did make this one appropriately with the exception of doing 2 layers instead of 3 as I don’t think my knife skills are up to par to make thirds. That’s OK though. It was fun hosting. Everyone seemed to enjoy the tiramisu & I didn’t end up in the ER. I’d call that a success.

Summer of Rhubarb: Rhubarb Torte

by almost_rosey // 18Jun2016 // No Comments

It has been a long time since I have had time for anything let alone time to bake. This is my first creation on my first Baking Sunday in a long time. The reason I have been absent is because I was busy planning a wedding and European honeymoon. I love planning. I always say that if I weren’t a chemist that I would be an event planner.

Our wedding was small but that doesn’t mean I had any less work to do. The only thing I didn’t have to deal with was the processional and music that coincides with that as well as bridesmaids dresses or bridesmaid flowers since I didn’t have any of those (honestly bridesmaid flowers are super easy because you just make them similar to the bride’s bouquet but have less flowers or simpler flowers). My flowers I spent a lot of time designing. I had a florist do the final arrangement but I gave specific flowers with colors and just told her (Kim from Artemisia) to arrange them.

Everything else I had to plan and I even had to write an entire ceremony since we did not have a church wedding which is not very easy to do. In addition, finding a venue for a small wedding (50 or less) is very difficult. All venues hold 100-300 so finding one with charm is not an easy task.

We ended up finding W.A. Frost which turned out to be absolutely amazing. It’s a small restaurant in historic St. Paul full of charm & beauty.

It is gorgeous inside and no decorations were needed.

The two rooms we rented held 57 max so it was perfect. We went there for lunch before we picked it and I tried the bouillabaisse and my guy got a cheeseburger. We figured that if they could cook a high-end dish and a simple cheeseburger that no matter what we ordered for the reception would be fantastic. We weren’t disappointed. Everything was delicious. For the night of we went with a walleye dish, a pork dish, as well as a bistro steak. I had the steak the night of and it was incredible. For our cake we went with tiramisu for our top layer and strawberry lemon for the bottom layer from Buttercream. Buttercream is expensive but it is worth it. They really are the best for wedding cakes in Minnesota.

I should also mention that my photographer (Angela from Angela Divine Photography) was absolutely amazing and all my wedding photos are from her. I told her we only needed a few hours of coverage and she did better than I could have imagined. I knew I wanted her once I saw her portfolio as she did many small weddings, and with our wedding being under 50 it was a perfect match.

I could talk about all the other details of event planning but this post would go on forever. Needless to say it takes a lot of time to research options for every single item for a wedding and a European trip. There is a lot to consider but just take it one thing at a time while always thinking about the next 20 tasks coming up if that makes any sense. I guess that’s why I am good at planning. I’m great at multitasking & thinking about the future while enjoying & living in the present.

As of now, my rhubarb is growing like crazy. I will have plenty of things to make rhubarb-wise in the future so prepare yourself. Maybe I could actually remember to take a decent photograph of my baked goods before they all get eaten.

Rhubarb Torte

For the crust

1 1/2 C flour
7 T sugar
1 1/2 sticks cold butter, cut into cubes

Heat the oven to 350°F. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour and sugar. Cut in the butter as if you’re making a pie crust. Press the dough into a 9- by 13-inch pan.

For the custard

2 eggs
3/4 C granulated sugar
3/4 C brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 C flour
3/4 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
3 C fresh rhubarb (I used the red variety)

In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until combined. Stir in the vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking soda, & salt. Stir in the rhubarb. Let sit for 30 minutes. Pour the custard into the crust, and bake for 35–45 minutes, until the torte is set and slightly golden, not toasty brown. Store any leftovers, covered, at room temperature.

Summer of Rhubarb: Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake

by almost_rosey // 12Jun2016 // No Comments

It’s that time of year again…Summer of Rhubarb time. There is a period of time where you could sit outside and literally watch your rhubarb grow. It happens that quickly. I actually made this last year but never got around to posting it. I was busy planning a wedding and a european honeymoon so I didn’t have much free time or ambition for anything else.

This cake seems ambitious but is really very easy. Every time I go to invert an upside-down cake I am fearful that it won’t come out. That it will remain stuck in the pan and I will have a crumbled cake mess. Every time, however, it slides out beautifully and I have a moment of pure satisfaction & baker’s bliss.

Upside-Down Rhubarb Cake

3 tbsp butter, melted
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 1/2 cup fresh or frozen* rhubarb, diced (I used 1 3/4 cup red rhubarb and 3/4 cup green rhubarb)
1.5 tbsp granulated sugar
6 tbsp butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1.5 tsp vanilla
2 eggs, separated
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup milk

*Note that if you are using frozen rhubarb thaw completely first and drain off excess liquid.

Preheat oven to 325F. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9in round cake pan with butter. Line with parchment paper. Grease the parchment paper with butter.

In a small bowl combine the melted butter and brown sugar. Spread over the greased parchment paper. Place rhubarb over sugar mixture. Sprinkles granulated sugar over rhubarb.

In a medium bowl, cream together the softened butter and sugar. Beat in egg yolks and vanilla. Add the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix until combined. Add the milk. Mix until combined.

In a medium bowl beat egg whites and tartar until stiff peaks form. Fold into the batter gently. Pour over rhubarb.

Bake for 55 minutes or until top is golden and lightly springs back when touched or a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Invert the cake.

Be proud. Be happy. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream if desired.

The Return of Baking Sunday 2015

by almost_rosey // 20Sep2015 // 1 Comment

Last Sunday was the commencement of true Baking Sunday Season. I try to bake on Sundays year round, but once football season starts that is when my baking season starts as well.

I use it as my time to do something I love. I try to bake new things but sometimes get set in my old favorites. Either way, it is my time.

Here is what I did last Sunday.

I made a margherita pizza for lunch. I did make the crust myself. The recipe I got from Giada De Laurentiis.

I canned some salsa.

And then I made cream puffs. I have never made these before and am glad I did. They were delicious. I was told I could make these every Sunday.

Chocolate Glazed Cream Puffs (makes 6)

pastry

1/2 cup water
4 tbsp butter
pinch salt
1/2 cup flour
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla

cream filling

2 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tbsp corn starch
pinch salt
2 tsp vanilla

chocolate glaze

2 tbsp butter
2 oz unsweetened chocolate
3 tbsp water
2/3 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

Prepare the cream filling first. It needs to set in the fridge for two hours.

Separate the eggs. Save the whites for another use. Place the yolks in a small bowl and whisk in the milk. In a small saucepan stir the corn starch, sugar, and salt together. Whisk in the egg-milk mixture. Stir over medium heat until thick and bubbly. Remove from heat and press plastic wrap over the top. Place in the fridge for two hours until set. Stir before use

Meanwhile, prepare the pastry. In a medium saucepan combine the water, butter, and salt. Bring to a boil. Make sure butter is melted and then add the flour stirring vigorously.

Cook and stir until the mixture forms a ball. Remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition with a wooden spoon. Stir in 1/2 tsp vanilla.

Drop 6 heaping tablespoons of dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet (or a greased baking sheet). Bake for 30 minutes or until golden. Remove and let cool on a wire rack.

Cut off the tops. If the dough on the inside is a bit fluffy just push it into the walls (you could tear it out but why waste it). Fill with the cream filling.

Replace the tops and then drizzle or completely cover with chocolate glaze. I suggest to completely cover them.

To make the chocolate glaze, melt the butter and chocolate over low heat. Remove from heat and stir in powdered sugar. Stir in the water and place over the heat again and stir until combined evenly. Add more water as necessary to thin out. You don’t want it too thin though. Stir in vanilla.

Finally, enjoy.

Summer of Rhubarb: Pound Cake with Rhubarb Sauce

by almost_rosey // 16Jun2015 // No Comments

In for a penny, in for a pound.

A phrase I am not too familiar with. I am not that type of a person. I don’t have an all or nothing mentality. I am fine with moderation. I am content with not taking high-stakes risks. Although sometimes you do have to take them. There are moments when the world presents you with opportunities which are all or nothing.

That’s what happened to me 2 years ago. I went ice fishing up north with my guy and said that I wanted to move there. He agreed. We wanted to leave the cities, the constant rushing around, the rat-race as they say. I jokingly began looking for jobs and realized that there were opportunities for me as a chemist in this small town in Almost Canada.

Then I got the job offer. Now things were real. It wasn’t just a dream or fantasy any longer. My guy and I had to make a choice. Do we do it? Get up and move? Change everything? Risk losing everything?

For me the risks were not that great. I had a job offer. I could easily pack up and move. My guy, however, had a house and job in the cities. He had to be willing to lose everything. We both knew that it was now or never and decided to go for it. It was time to hit the reset button.

This was easier for me. I accepted the job. I took a pay cut. I cashed out my 401K. I bought a house. I started over. My guy had a lot to lose. He did end up losing his job. And now the prospect of losing his house and credit is very real.

That was a risk he was willing to take. A risk that is becoming reality. Everything that he spent his whole life working for is disappearing.

We both went all in…In for a penny, in for a pound. I cannot thank him enough. I appreciate everything he has done. The reset button for me was fairly quick and painless. For him it has been a slow process and is still on-going. He was willing to lose everything to slow things down and move to Almost Canada with me. To actually enjoy more of life. I know when it is all said and done, by losing all these things we both are gaining so much more.

Pound Cake

1 stick butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla

Cream together the butter and sugar until the mixture is light & fluffy (about 3-5 minutes). Mix in the eggs one at a time scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the flour, salt, and baking powder all at once. Mix until combined. Add the whipping cream and mix until just incorporated. Stir in the vanilla. Pour into a buttered & lightly floured loaf pan. Place in a cold oven. Set the oven to 325F and bake for 80 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool in pan on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool completely on a wire rack.

Rhubarb Sauce

3 cups fresh or frozen rhubarb
1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tbsp corn starch
ginger and/or cinnamon

Place the fruit (I used frozen) and water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir together the sugar & corn starch. Stir the mixture into the fruit. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Stir in ginger and/or cinnamon if desired (I did a few dashes of both).

Note that this recipe makes a lot of sauce. Use as a topping for ice cream or in other baked goods such as Oatmeal Rhubarb Bars which is what I did with mine.

Whipped Cream

2 tbsp sugar
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 tsp vanilla

Place bowl and metal whisk in freezer for 10-15 minutes. Place sugar, cream, and vanilla in bowl. Whisk until mixture forms stiff peaks. Use immediately or place in the fridge.

Boston Cream Pie, Deconstructed

by almost_rosey // 12May2015 // No Comments

I’ve been on vacation for about a month. Well, not exactly, but it feels as such. I spent time in Florida, went turkey hunting (which I shall write about shortly), and went to Arizona. Thus, I have not been baking. As I set out to bake on Baking Sunday for the first time in a long time, I had no idea what I wanted to make.

I knew I didn’t want to make cookies or brownies as those are my go-to baked goods. I wanted to do something a bit different. Not necessarily fancy or complicated, but just not my norm. I was thinking cake. After much deliberation (yes I deliberated over this trivial matter) I decided to make Boston Cream Pie. I have never made one before so figured I should give it a go.

I prepped the filling and it looked superb. I prepped the batter and popped the cake in the oven. It came out looking amazing & smelled even better. I let it cool slightly and went to invert the pan and…it did not come out of the pan the way it was supposed to come out. All bakers have experienced this. Part of the bottom of the cake remained in the pan during the inversion process and it resulted in a split cake.

At first I thought it would be OK. I had to slice it in half anyway for the two layers required for the finished good but it had split in a way that this would not be possible.

I sat there grumpy, tapping my nails on the counter, & I tried to think of what I was going to do. I decided to just make Deconstructed Boston Cream Pie. I don’t know if that exists or not but that’s what I did. I took my aggression out on the cake and crumbled it into various sized pieces. I made the glaze as planned. I then assembled my new creation by layering crumbs, filling, more crumbs, and then the glaze in muffin cups.

It might not be what I intended to make, but kitchen mishaps are bound to happen. It’s all about adapting and making it work. True in the kitchen & true in life.

Recipe From Betty Crocker: Boston Cream Pie

Banana Pancakes

by almost_rosey // 25Jan2015 // No Comments

It has been about 2 months since my fishing guide became a real fishing guide and consequently we do not get to spend much time together. He works long days every day and I am left to entertain myself. Don’t get me wrong, I love alone time. I am the type of person who would rather hang out by myself than go out on most occasions. But on Sundays, it does feel a bit lonely.

Sunday was always our day to relax (like most people I assume). We drink coffee together in the morning, have a nice brunch type breakfast, and then he would watch football and I would bake if it were that time of year which it currently is.

I have been baking despite his absence which is easy enough to do, but I do miss our Sunday brunches. It’s a little hard to pull off just for myself. Cooking a brunch for 2 is one thing and cooking a whole brunch for one is another. I know it can be done, but it just doesn’t have the same feeling.

This Sunday I decided to make Banana Pancakes. I have seen numerous recipes on the web and this once is my version of it. It is very simple but delicious. It is also a good recipe since it is easy to make for just one person and I know my fishing guide wouldn’t enjoy it as much as I do. It’s the perfect breakfast dish to give me that brunch type feel while he is gone.

Banana Pancakes

1 small banana
1 egg
1/8 tsp baking powder
cinnamon & nutmeg
1 tbsp peanut butter, optional
cooking spray or butter

In a bowl, mash a banana very well. Try to get rid of as many lumps as possible (a more ripe banana works very well). Beat one egg into the mashed banana. Add the baking powder and as much cinnamon and nutmeg as desired.

Heat a skillet over medium-low to medium heat. Spray with cooking spray or melt butter if desired (I used spray as I was using peanut butter at the end). Pour 1/8 cup batter onto hot greased skillet and cook as if cooking a normal pancake (this will make about 6 pancakes. I find making the smaller pancakes works better for flipping). The edges with firm up and the batter will start to bubble.

Flip with a spatula and cook the other side. Meanwhile, heat peanut butter on the stove or in a microwave until softened enough to drizzle (feel free to add a teaspoon of honey to this as well if desired). Drizzle peanut butter over pancakes if using (these are delicious plain if you do not like peanut butter). Enjoy eating well, even if it is by yourself.

Specken Dicken & Fried Potatoes

by almost_rosey // 20Jan2015 // No Comments

I was never close to any of my grandparents. My mother’s parents were cold & distant. My father’s dad died before I was born and his mom lives in Iowa. I did see her roughly once a year. I enjoyed visiting her every time. I got to play games, have tea time twice a day (with cookies of course), and eat fried potatoes at every dinner (lunch is what most people call it). At my grandmother’s house it was: breakfast, dinner, supper. And dinner meant fried potatoes.

I grew up eating this miraculous food and remember asking at one point how she got them to taste so good. She replied simply, lard. I never thought to ask for the recipe. Not until my trips to Iowa have more or less stopped.

With getting older and moving further away, it is harder to find the time to make trips at the 4th of July or during New Year’s. The last time I was at my grandmother’s was when she was 100 years old (she is now 102) at New Year’s. A majority of my aunts & uncles were there as well. In a traditional German New Year’s fashion we had specken dicken and of course…fried potatoes.

For those of you (most likely all of you) who do not know what Specken Dicken is, I shall enlighten you. It is an anise flavored pancake with Metwurst sausage in it (it sounds weird but it is delicious). At my grandmother’s house it is served with fried potatoes and red jello, although no one knows why it is served with the red jello.

This year I had the grand idea to ask my dad for the recipe. He then contacted my aunt who gave me the recipe that is at least 75 years old. I made it for New Year’s Day and it was fantastic. My fishing guide loved the whole thing, but he especially liked the fried potatoes and said I could make them whenever I wanted.

While I will not divulge the recipe as it is an old family one, I will share a photo.

Chocolate Beet Cupcakes

by almost_rosey // 10Nov2014 // No Comments

This post is a bit delayed as I wrote it around Halloween. Just decorate them however you desire or not at all. I enjoyed them the best with no frosting.

As I had made Bloody Beet Cake I knew I needed to make chocolate beet cupcakes. I have this problem. Once I find something I have to go all out and keep trying different variations. This time, it is baking with beets. I threw together these cupcakes and was blown away. I think these might the best cupcakes I have ever made. I always have problems with trying cupcake recipes and they end up being dry or just not that great. These are neither. They are moist (I hate that word except for cake descriptions), fluffy, and super chocolately. I strongly suggest doubling or tripling the recipe.

I also made the same recipe but instead of butter I used 1/3 cup vegetable oil. I added all the dry ingredients to a bowl and then added all the wet ingredients on top. I just beat them until mixed and poured into a prepared muffin tin. The baking time is also the same. I do think the ones with butter were a smidge better, but they were both scrumptious.

Chocolate Beet Cupcakes (makes 1 dozen)

6 tbsp butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup beet puree
1/2 cup coffee
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
1/3 cup chocolate chips
frosting (optional)

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a muffin tin with paper liners. Beat butter until soft. Beat in sugar until creamy. Add beet puree & coffee and mix until just combined. Add all dry ingredients and mix until incorporated. Fold in chocolate chips. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until tops are spongey and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

Feel free to frost with your favorite frosting. I did a few with cream cheese frosting & Halloween decorations as well. In my opinion though, I think they are amazing plain.

Feeling Almost Rosey

Put Those Glasses On

cake