Two Tarts state that cake is “a great wintery cake – very rich, buttery, almond-scented, and simple.” It truly is!  Wishing you all a very wonderful and joyful Holiday Season! Hoping to see you all in a new & hopeful New Year!

Almond Cake with Caramelized Clementines
adapted from: Two Tarts

Ingredients:

• 1 cup flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 7 oz almond paste (a scant 1 cup)
• 1 + 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 1/2 sticks butter (1/2 lb + 4 Tbsp)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 6 eggs

Butter a 9-inch round cake pan thoroughly and line the bottom with parchment.  This cake tends to stick, so don’t skip the parchment step! Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a food processor (or in another large mixing bowl if you’re up for a workout) whip the almond paste & sugar together until it’s in very fine pieces. Next, add the butter and beat it together with the almond paste and sugar until it is light and fluffy.  Beat in the vanilla, then the eggs.  Finally, add the dry ingredients in to the wet, bit by bit, until fully combined. Bake at 325 for 1 hour and 15 minutes.  Let cool completely before turning out and slicing.

Caramelized Clementines
adapted from: Martha Stewart

• 4 peeled clementines, pulled in half then cut into thin half-moons

• 2 more clementines, juiced

• 1/2 cup sugar

Dissolve the juice and sugar in a sauce pan and bring to a simmer, then stir occasionally until the sauce reaches a golden caramelized color. Add the clementine half-moons and sauté until they’re coated in the caramelly glaze.  Remove them to a serving dish, then spoon the warm sauce over slices of almond cake.

With that said, I made the most baked cake in my kitchen in the last two months! I’m suprised my husband is not sick of it yet!  Well maybe he is!  This is one of my favorite cake recipes, its a mixture of crumble cake with a soft and airy texture!  The added bonus is the aroma of the spices that fills the whole house, making it feel warm and very holiday like.

SOUR CREAM COFFEE CAKE
adapted from Ina Gartens: Barefoot Contessa Family Style

Ingredients:

• 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 3 extra-large eggs at room temperature
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups sour cream
• 2 1/2 cups cake flour (not self-rising)*see instructions below
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

For the streusel:

• 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 3/4 cup chopped walnuts, optional

For the glaze:

• 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 2 tablespoons real maple syrup

Directions:

After dinner during the month of Ramadan, I look forward to drinking my tea and feasting on dessert.  As much as I say my husband loves desserts, I must admit I equally do as well. He prefers milk desserts like pudding and ice creams, my preferences are mostly of cakes, cookies, chocolates and several different traditional Middle Eastern & Turkish desserts.

Revani or Basbousa as known as in Arabic, amongst many other Turkish desserts, happens to be one of my absolute favorite dessert.  Over the summer, I started looking for a good recipe and to my surprise stumbled upon a recipe on Epicurious.com.  This recipe was a bit different from the traditional Turkish recipes as it called for semolina then flour creating a dense sponge cake soaked in syrup.

Even though both Eids have past, this is a great recipe to have and make for anytime of the year. Especially when you are expecting company and want to creat a special dessert.

REVANI
adapted from Epicurious | July 2009
by Carol Robertson  – Turkish Cooking: A Culinary Journey through Turkey

Ingredients:

Syrup:

• 3 cups of sugar
• 4 cups of water
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (1/2 lemon)

Cake:

• 9 eggs, separated
• 3/4 cup sugar
• grated rind from 1 lemon
• 2 cups semolina or farina (cream of wheat)
• 1/3 cup flour
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup heavy cream, whipped with 1 tablespoon sugar (I did not serve with whipped cream)
• 1/4 cup ground nuts or 1/4 cup of dry coconut

To make the syrup:
Bring sugar, water, and lemon juice to a boil, simmer 15 minutes. Cool.

To make the cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Beat the egg yolks, sugar and lemon rind with an electric beater for 5 minutes or until pale yellow.
3. Wash and dry the beater.
4. Fold the semolina and flour into the beaten yolks until well blended. Set aside.
5. Beat the egg whites with the clean beater until stiff.
6. Alternate gently folding the egg whites and the melted butter into the yolk and flour mix.
7. Pour batter into a well greased and floured 9×12 inch or 10×12 inch baking pan.
8. Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 40 minutes, or until a pick inserted in the center comes out clean.
9. Pour the syrup over the hot cake. Let it stand for several hours until the syrup is absorbed and the cake is cool.
10. Cut the cake into squares.
11. Serve with whipped cream and sprinkle nuts or dry coconut on tops.

Summer has come and gone along with Ramadan.  I had hopes of posting some recipes during the month of Ramadan, but I did not have time to. Between long hours at work and running to rush home to cook, I honestly did not have the chance too.  With that said, I turn to this gorgeous and easy summer cake. It is not summer any more, but this cake fits into fall nicely. Well, early fall.  Original recipe called for cut strawberries, I opted for blueberries because it is one my daughters favorite fruits. Don’t be shy with covering the top with it, the more berries the merrier it is. I also swapped the additional half cup of white flour with whole wheat flour and found it had a better texture.

Blueberry Summer Cake
adapted,slightly, from Martha Stewart Living, June 2005

Ingredients

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 9-inch round cake pan or 10-inch pie pan. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together into a medium bowl.
2. Put butter and 1 cup sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low; mix in egg, milk, and vanilla.
3. Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in flour mixture. Transfer batter to buttered & floured pan.
4. Arrange the blueberries on top of batter. If using strawberries cut sides down and as close together as possible. Sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons sugar over berries.
5. Bake cake 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Bake until cake is golden brown and firm to the touch, about 1 hour. Let cool in pie plate on a wire rack. Cut into wedges.

Note: Cake can be stored at room temperature, loosely covered, up to 2 days.