Elenore's Plum Cake

I have been seeing lots of plums in the market lately, it must be the plum season in other parts of the world where they came from! Taking advantage whilst they are in season, I bought some with the intention to make some plum jam, and ended up eaten as they are (they are really sweet), with a few went into this lovely plum cake.

Elenore's Plum Cake recipe, is taken from "The Seasonal Baker" by John Barricelli, and this recipe belongs to his mother-in-law. It is a buttery German-style plum cake. I can see why this cake is such a hit with his family. This is my kind of cake, simple, easy, fruity and really, really nice.

Really easy cake to make, using the usual cream method for making the batter, the sliced plum wedges are arranged on top of the batter, sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar, and bake until cake is done. There are a few changes I've made. Firstly, as usual, I've reduced the sugar by half! I've used only a scant half cup (recipes calls for 1 cup), and it is already sweet enough for us. Also I have omitted the salt as the I've used salted butter. And I've added half a teaspoon of vanilla extract, just because I feel that somehow cakes needed that vanilla touch! For the cinnamon-sugar sprinkling over the top, I've used only 1 teaspoon sugar (recipe is 2 tbsps). 

Recipe says to arrange the plum wedges skin side down, but from the photo of the book, the plums wedges looks like they are skin side up! So, I have arranged them skin-side up, which looks nicer anyway! Instead of a 8" pyrex dish, I've used the normal 8" square baking pan, lined and greased, and place the pan directly on the baking rack in the oven (recipe says to place the pyrex dish on a baking sheet, and bake). My cake was done at 45 minutes (recipe says to bake 70 to 75 minutes until done), so check your cake at the 40-45 minutes baking time!

This cake can be served warm or at room temperature with a dusting of icing sugar, either way, it is good (with or without the icing sugar)! The crumbs are light, moist, soft, buttery, with soft tender plums. According to the author, "It's very nice for a weekend breakfast, an afternoon snack, or as a dessert. It's incredibly simple to make, and tastes fantastic. What else is there to say?".  He's right!

*my changes listed in blue
Elenore's Plum Cake
(adapted from "The Seasonal Baker", John Barricelli)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon coarse salt (omit this as I've used salted butter)
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature (used salted butter, 125gm)
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar (scant 1/2 cup plus 1 tsp)
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1-3/4 pounds (5 to 6) large black plums, halved and pitted, each half cut into 1/4-inch thick wedges
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla extract (my addition)

1. Set  the oven rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350F. Butter an 8 by 8-inch Pyrex baking dish. (I've used a normal 8" square cake pan, line and greased).
2. In a medium bowl, sift the flour with the baking powder and salt; set aside,
3. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter with 1 cup of the sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Turn the mixer to low speed. Add the flour mixture and beat until the flour is absorbed.
4. Scrape the batter into the prepared baking dish and smooth the top with an offset spatula. Arrange a line of plum wedges along one side, skin sides down, and press gently to settle them. Arrange another line of plum wedges right next to and touching the first. Continue to use up the plums and cover the batter.
5. In a small bowl, stir together the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and the cinnamon. Sprinkle the mixture over the plums. Place the cake on a baking sheet and bake, rotating the sheet about two-thirds of the way through the baking time, until the top is golden brown, the plums are tender and bubbling, and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 70 to 75 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for at least 10 minutes. Cut into nine squares to serve warm, or let cool completely. (I placed the pan directly on the baking rack in the oven, and the cake was done at 45 minutes, so watch out for the baking time!)

The Seasonal Baker by John Barricelli

I bought this book at last year's BBW sale, and I'm so glad that I did. I really like this book and the recipes, so many I've bookmarked to try! He has authored two cookbooks, and I have them both, the other one which is his first cookbook, The SoNo Baking Company Cookbook, is just as wonderful. I'm looking forward to try out other recipes in due time! So, in the meantime, I'm sharing this post with Cookbook Wednesday, hosted by the lovely Louise of Months of Edible Celebrations. If you have a cookbook that you would like to share, hop over to Louise's site for more info.

and :

Cook-Your-Books #18 @ kitchen flavours

SoNo Brownies

A couple of weeks ago, my daughter's friend came over to our house, to spend the afternoon with her. I made a simple lunch, but there's nothing to snack on later! With three teenagers in the house, I thought of baking, definitely something with chocolate, and brownies came to mind, as brownies are really easy and quick to put together, and do not take that long to bake. A quick browse thru my cookbook collection, and found this delicious recipe from "The Sono Baking Company Cookbook" by John Barricelli, a lovely book indeed.

These brownies are really quick and easy to make. Firstly, mix all the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Then melt the butter in a saucepan, add in the sugar and corn syrup, then the eggs and the vanilla, whisking to combine after each addition.  Add in the dry ingredients, fold until the flours have been incorporated, then fold in the chocolate chips. Pour batter into baking pan and bake for about 30 minutes.

These brownies are so good! Very moist, soft, tender, and chocolaty good! A hit with the kids! And a request to make this again. :)

SoNo Brownies
(adapted from "The Sono Baking Company Cookbook", John Barricelli)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of baking soda
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup sugar (scant 3/4 cup)
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1. Set the oven rack in the middle position. Preheat the oven to 350F. Coat an 8-inch square baking dish with nonstick cooking spray, or brush generously with softened butter; set aside.
2. In a bowl, whisk the flour with the cocoa, salt, baking powder, and baking soda; set aside.
3. In a saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the sugar and corn syrup and whisk to combine. Whisk in the eggs one at a time, whisking until well blended after each addition. Whisk in the vanilla.
4. Add the dry ingredients and fold until the flour has been incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Bake until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes.
6. Let cool completely in the pan on a wire rack, then cut into 2-inch squares.

I'm linking this post to :

Cook-Your-Books #12 @ Kitchen Flavours

Lemony Madeleines

I've bought a few baking books from the recent BBW sale, two of those are, John Barricelli's, "The Seasonal Baker" and "The Sono Baking Company Cookbook". These are beautiful cookbooks, and of course, as soon as I've browsed thru them, many recipes are bookmarked! So for a start, I've decided to make these easy madeleines from "The Seasonal Baker".

According to the author, these French little cakes are traditionally made with melted butter, and must be eaten the day they are baked or they lose their airy softness. So to make it practical for the home kitchens, his recipe is a mixture of melted butter and oil, to extend their shelf life to a couple of days.

Just like most other madeleines, the batter is refrigerated for at least 2 hours before baking. I have reduced the amount of sugar to 1/4 cup (original is 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons), which turns out just right.

These madeleines are soft and lemony. Perfect as an afternoon treat with a cup of warm tea. Best eaten, especially warm, fresh from the oven!

Lemony Madeleines
(adapted from "The Seasonal Baker", John Barricelli)
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar (I use 1/4 cup)
2/3 cup cake flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for the pan
2 teaspoons lemon extract
grated zest of 1 lemon
2 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
1/8 teaspoon coarse salt (omit this, use salted butter)

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, and baking powder ; set aside. In a small bowl, combine the oil, melted butter, lemon extract, and lemon zest; set aside.
2. In another medium bowl, whisk the 2 whole eggs plus the egg yolk with the salt until frothy. Whisk in the sugar-and-flour mixture until the dry ingredients are combined and the batter is smooth. Fold in the oil-and-butter mixture with the whisk. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
3. Set a rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350F. Brush a 12-mold madeleine pan well with melted butter or spray with nonstick spray. Dust the molds with flour and tap out the excess.
4. Fill the molds about two-thirds full, about 1 tablespoon in a standard mold; do not overfill. Bake until golden brown and rise, 14 to 16 minutes, rotating the pan two-thirds of the way through the baking time.
5. Immediately invert the madeleines onto a wire rack and let cool completely. Let the mold cool completely. Then butter and flour 8 of the molds, fill with the remaining batter, bake, and cool.

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I'm linking this post to :

Little Thumbs Up, ingredient for this month is Lemons, an event organized by Zoe of Bake For Happy Kids and Doreen of My Little Favourite D.I.Y. and hosted by Grace of Life Can Be Simple.

Cook-Your-Books #9 hosted by Kitchen Flavours

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Upcoming Event !!!

Cook Like A Star will be entering it's third year this March! How time flies! To celebrate Cook Like A Star's 2nd anniversary, for the months of March and April, Cook Like A Star is having an All Star Anniversary Party! Isn't this exciting? We have the choice to cook or bake from any of the previous featured chefs recipes, and they are :

Ina Garten

Jamie Oliver

Nigella Lawson

Curtis Stone

Ree Drummond

Bill Granger

Masterchefs

Martha Steward

Delia Smith

Donna Hay

The hosts for All-Stars Anniversary Party are, Zoe of Bake For Happy Kids, Mich of Piece of Cake and Joyce of Kitchen Flavours

Everyone is welcome to join us, cook or bake from any of the above chefs' recipes and link your posts to the linky which will be provided at the hosts' page. Your post must be current. Feel free to use the above logo in your blog post. Please mention the following :

I'm linking this post to Cook Like A Star, All-Stars Anniversary Party, hosted by Zoe of Bake For Happy Kids, Mich of Piece of Cake and Joyce of Kitchen Flavours.

See you at the Party!

From 1st March to 30th April!