Carrie Fehr

Kitchen Garden Food

Tag: Cake

September 3, 2022

Lemon Tea Cake

This simple tea cake has the bright tangy zip of fresh lemons enriched with a hint of vanilla. The addition of yogurt and olive oil makes the texture of this lemon cake incredibly moist. For an extra deep zesty citrus flavor, brush it with the lemon glaze while it’s still warm from the oven. 

 Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

3/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoon lemon zest (about 3 medium sized lemons) I use Meyer lemons

1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped 

2 large eggs

1 cup plain whole milk yogurt

1/2 cup olive oil

Lemon Glaze

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions:

Line a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Whisk flour, baking powder, and kosher salt in a medium bowl.

Using your fingers, rub sugar with lemon zest and vanilla bean seeds in a large bowl until combined. Add eggs and whisk until pale yellow and frothy. Whisk in the yogurt and olive oil. 

Stir in dry ingredients and mix together until incorporated. (A few small lumps in the batter are fine.)

Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake until top of cake is golden brown, about 50 minutes.

Let cake cool in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Invert onto rack and then let cool completely.

Lemon Glaze

In a saucepan bring the powdered sugar and lemon juice to a simmer.  Remove from heat and drizzle the lemon glaze over the warm tea cake.

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July 18, 2021

Plum Torte

It is not surprising that the most requested recipe from The New York Times dining section is the plum torte by Marian Burros. This classic cake is a perfect way to highlight the summer’s beautiful harvest from my backyard Santa Rosa plum tree. It combines everything I crave in a summer dessert: luscious fruit baked into sweet, tart perfection. The tangy plums, surrounded by buttery cake taste like soft little pillows of sweetness that are intensified by the oven’s heat so the flavor of the fruit comes shining through. This torte is a wonderful way to use fruit in season and can be prepared in minutes. The last remaining slice featured in the photo below, will be breakfast tomorrow!

Plum Torte

Adapted from Marian Burros.The original recipe calls for Italian prune plums, but feel free to swap them out for Santa Rosa plums, or any other seasonal fruits such as berries, apricots or peaches and you’ll see why it’s so loved.

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 pinch salt

¾ cup sugar

½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 large eggs

10 to 12 plums, pitted and halved lengthwise

2 teaspoons sugar and ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon for sprinkling

Directions:

Heat the oven to 350° F.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl and set aside.

In the bowl of a standing mixer, cream the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add the dry ingredients and the eggs all at once, and beat until combined, scraping down the bowl once or twice.

Spread the batter into an 8 or 9-inch spring form pan. Arrange the plum halves, skin side up, on top of the batter in concentric circles. Mix together the 2 teaspoons of sugar with ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon in a small bowl. Sprinkle over the top of the batter and fruit.

Bake 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Cool the cake in its pan on a rack for 10 minutes, and then release the spring and let it finish cooling. Serve.

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July 12, 2020

Plum Upside-Down Cake

Plum Upside-Down Cake

Plum Upside-Down Cake for Breakfast? Yes, Please! The sun-ripened plums in this buttery cake are plump perfection with a bit of tartness in the skin that compliments the brown Swerve caramel topping. This moist and low-carb carb cake is delicious with Santa Rosa plums, but feel free to swap them out for  berries, apricots or peaches.

Plum Upside-Down Cake

Makes 9″ round cake

Ingredients:

Topping:

1/2 cup Swerve Sweetener, Brown

1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

5-7 plums, stones removed and sliced

Cake:

1 3/4 cups almond flour

2/3 cup Swerve Granular Sweetener

1 tsp baking powder

3 large eggs, room temperature

1/3 cup unsalted melted butter

2/3 cup milk, or unsweetened almond milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325F and grease a 9” round cake pan.

Topping:

In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar Swerve and melted butter until well combined. Spread over the bottom of the prepared pan. Arrange sliced plums in concentric circles over the brown sugar mixture and set aside.

Cake:

Whisk together the almond flour, granulated Swerve, and baking powder in a bowl.

Mix together the eggs, melted butter, milk, and vanilla extract in a separate bowl.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix to combine.

Spread the batter evenly over the plum topping. Bake 30-40 minutes, until the edges are nicely browned and the center is firm to the touch.

Remove and let cool 10 minutes, then place a serving platter over the baking pan and invert the cake.

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April 11, 2020

Lemon Olive Oil Madeleines

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When Marcel Proust dipped his madeleine into his cup of tea, a powerful memory from his childhood emerged that led him to write the classic novel, “Remembrance of Things Past. “ Imagine such a table from nostalgic past, set for afternoon tea, bursting with memories, sparked by the delicate flavor of this simple yet elegant, shell-shaped cake.

This recipe was originally published in 2013, which I have updated and revised using Swerve sweetener as a replacement for sugar. Swerve sweetener is a natural sugar replacement that has zero net carbs and is keto-friendly.

Lemon Olive Oil Madeleines

Ingredients:

2 eggs

2/3 cup Swerve sweetener or sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

3/4 cup flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ cup olive oil

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Zest of lemon

Glaze:

4 tablespoons Swerve confectioners or powdered sugar

½ lemon, juiced

Directions:

In a bowl of an electric mixer, whip eggs, Swerve sweetner, and salt until thicken, about 5 minutes.

Sift in the flour and baking powder.  Using  a  spatula gently fold in  the flour until  incorporated.

Add the olive oil and continue to stir. It may take a minute for the olive oil to blend into the mixture but do not over mix.

Stir in the  lemon juice and zest.

Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. (Batter may be chilled for up to 12 hours.)

Lightly coat the madeleine mold with cooking oil.  Preheat oven to 350°

Make the glaze in a small bowl by stirring together the Swerve confectioners and lemon juice.  Mix until smooth and creamy.

Scoop batter into madeleine mold, filling 2/3 full.  Bake for 10-12 minutes and unmold on a cooling rack.  While still warm, dip both sides of each cake in the glaze.  Cool and serve with tea.

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October 6, 2016

French Apple Cake

French Apple CakeTender chunks of apples layered over silky custard-like cake, is what makes this rustic French dessert, completely melt-in-your-mouth.  One of the easiest dishes to prepare, this fall favorite bursts with so much flavor, you could never imagine it uses a few ingredients that are likely already in your pantry.  Voila!

With apple season in full swing, it’s the perfect time to stop by your local farmers’ market and take advantage of this fruit when it’s truly fresh picked.  A mixture of sweet tart apples such as Pink Lady, Black Arkansas, Granny Smith, or Fuji will give this cake a more interesting taste, and a wonderful fragrance that will make your home feel like autumn.

French Apple Cake

Adapted from David Lebovitz, and Around My French Table, by Dorie Greenspan

Ingredients:

3/4 cup flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

pinch of salt

4 large apples, a mix of varieties, (4 cups)

2 large eggs, at room temperature

3/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350ºF

Butter a 9-inch springform pan and place it on a baking sheet.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.  Peel, core, and dice the apples into 1-inch cubes.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs until foamy, then whisk in the sugar until thick and creamy. Mix in the vanilla. Whisk in half of the flour mixture, and gently stir in half of the melted butter.  Add remaining flour and the rest of the butter.

Using a spatula, fold in the apple cubes until coated with the batter and pour into the prepared cake pan.  Smooth the top with a spatula.

Bake the cake for 45-50 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool for 5 minutes, and remove the sides of the springform pan.

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February 3, 2013

French Yogurt Cake

French Yogurt CakeWith just a few ingredients like —yogurt, lemon zest, and olive oil, you can whip up an amazing lemony cake that is moist, full of flavor, and light as a cloud, in a matter of minutes.  This versatile French classic is perfect for breakfast, or afternoon tea, or for a delicious finale to an evening meal.  Sprinkle a little powdered sugar over the top before serving, and pair it with some fresh berries. (Recipe adapted from Bon Appétit)

French Yogurt Cake  

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon lemon zest

3/4 cup plain yogurt

1/2 cup olive oil

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°.  Line a 9×3 round pan with parchment paper.

Whisk 1 1/2 cups flour, baking powder, and kosher salt in a medium bowl.

Using your fingers, rub sugar with lemon zest in a large bowl until combined. Add yogurt, olive oil, eggs, and vanilla extract; whisk to blend. Stir in dry ingredients and mix together.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake until top of cake is golden brown, about 45 minutes.

Let cake cool in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Invert onto rack and then let cool completely.

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